"The Grave"

"He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made." (Psalms 7:15) My mom always had a saying that goes along with this, it was, You've made your bed, now lay in it! This she would say to the deceit that us kids would conjure up to cover up something that we had done; things were always worse and more complicated to deal with, the more people that were involved in a lie or cover up. You have most likely heard the term, Digging his own grave; well that is the image that David is putting forth. Isn't odd how someone will reject something that can save them, and replace it with something that will literally drag them to Hell. Can a heart of rebellion really be that stubborn? Well, we really don't have to go that far from David to find that out; however, David's sin with Bathsheba, and his plotting to cover it up, is not what I am talking about. His name was Saul, the first king of Israel; chosen by God to rule His people, and to be an example to the people of one who served God. Reading the accounts of Saul's final few years, I wondered why he was so bitter against David, and how he could even begin to justify some of the things that he did. At one point, Saul commanded that the Priests be killed who helped David and feed him and his men the hallowed bread. He could not get his footmen to kill them, so he had Doeg the Edomite do it, who was chiefest herdsman in Saul's court; a servant in his court was instructed to do his dirty work, that his own foot soldiers refused to do. That is really hard to imagine, how he could have continued to call for the death of these Priests, after his own loyal military servants would not perform the task. These guys that surrounded Saul were like the Secret Service to the President, loyal to surround him and protect him at all times as he traveled about; however, they were still men that feared God, and would have no part in killing the Priest of God; therefore, you would think that Saul would have gotten the hint that this was not a good thing to do. Could he have hated David that much? Or was his heart made hard by the fact that he could not except God's forgiveness, nor could he even see the forgiveness that was available for his very soul; instead, he had established himself to be king, even after Samuel had told him that God had chosen someone else to rule in his place, he continued as if he were the king that God had anointed. It is hard to count the number of times that Saul tried to kill David; and when ever Saul would make an oath that he was not going to pursue David any longer, as soon as he heard something that was glorifying to David, he would set out to kill him again. If ever there could be an example of someone who was not governed by God, Saul's last years were the perfect picture. So, what could have made Saul not accept or even receive God's forgiveness? Maybe it was his kingdom being taken from him and given to another? or maybe it was that he never asked for God's forgiveness? But yet he did repent; he just did not like the terms of his repentance; which were to suffer the loss of his kingdom, and all the glory that came with being King of Israel. The one thing that I remember the most about Boot Camp, when I joined the Navy, was how they first took you to your lowest state, to then build you back up again. This is much the same thing that we must do, as we humble ourselves to receive God's forgiveness for our sins; we must become lower than dirt; we must be dead to ourselves, in order to be alive unto God! Would Saul have stepped aside for David to take the throne? Probably not! Should he have? Only if he was interested in God's forgiveness...

"The Advance"

"Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood." (Psalms 7:14) So here we are; the place that requires turning towards God in surrender, or advancing forward through the briar patch, with all of it's thorns and thistles. What would make someone so stubborn, and harden their heart to such an extent? Pride might be one thing which could cause such an action; yet, I am not sure that it is the main reason. There is another term for such action; although closely associated with pride, yet it takes on a life of it's own, in more ways than one. The term is called vanity; and what that does in our heart, is to create an image unto ourselves, or an idol of ourselves; whereby, there is created an image of someone who knows better than God what is best for us, and takes the attributes of man and contributes them unto God. Image what that might look like, if you can; because in doing so, you must discount the mighty power of an all-knowing, and loving God! Although, this is what David is describing, as he paints a picture of a man who is trapped in the depths of vanity. The first part of the description, is that "he traverseth with iniquity"; which could be interpreted as being lost in sin; however, it really goes quite further than that. It goes further, because being lost requires that someone not know the way; this however speaks of someone who has pledged something, which points to the direction that they have chosen; instead of just stumbling into sin, they have intentionally reached out for it. This is the thing about idols, is that they are set before God, and then reached out to, as in an effort to facilitate a need, in lieu of God. The second part of this picture, is that he "hath conceived mischief"; which again, is something that involves intent, and requires a foreknowledge of what is right, yet chooses to do wrong. What this speaks about is a plan to do wrong, or to sin; which requires the knowledge of what is right, in order to conceive such a plan to do wrong. And then, we have the third part of this picture, which is that he "brought forth falsehood"; which speaks about making something up, or to bring forth something that is false. Do you see the picture? It paints a picture of a man that is defiant to his core, and is determined to press forward, even knowing that he is wrong. What could make such a man do such a thing? Envy? Jealousy? How about unforgiveness? Yes, that is what I think that it is! Not unforgiveness on his part, but his inability to see God's forgiveness towards him! Now why do you think that is? Could it be that the image of himself has gotten in the way of his ability to see God's love for him? Can a man even begin to see God's forgiveness if he is focused upon himself? We cannot understand God's ability to forgive us, if we cannot get past ourselves...

"The Briar Patch" -2

Now then; as to the issue of forgiveness; I bet you wondered if I was done with that topic and had moved on to something better and more pleasant, like repentance. I wonder what riches and material things can do in our hearts, as we guard them from being taken or used by others? Not such a big deal, is what some might say; however, we sometimes overlook the power that we give these things over our lives. What do they say the number one cause of divorce is; is it not finances? And the number one cause of disputes among friends; is it not things of possession? The word which I am speaking about is "persecutors", which was the second part of Psalm 7:13, whereby David says, "He ordaineth His arrows against the persecutors". A rather complex word, yet given that it has at the root of it's meaning 'to burn', or to hotly pursue, it takes on the characteristics of flames; burning desire that is set towards something. Back in Mark 10:30, Jesus is speaking about something rather significant that we gain as His followers; and He places the word "hundredfold" in the description of these gains; which be, houses, brethren, sisters, mothers, children, lands, and least we forget, persecutions! Yes, we shall inherit eternal life, and the comforts that come with fellowship with one another, and the peace that is bestowed upon us by the gift of the Holy Spirit; but we shall also receive persecution in these times; it is to be expected. With that, we must not worry or take thought over the things of this world; all of which shall pass away. Therefore; disputes that are generated out of riches and material things should not be a part of who we are in Christ, because greater riches then these are granted to us, that far exceed that which the world has to offer. In this, we are to be content; yet, where is the contentment in anger towards one another? When we are talking about turning towards God, we are talking about turning towards holiness; when we are talking about turning towards holiness, we are to shed all that is unholy! The physical things are easy to detect: things such as fornication, stealing, lying, and even coveting; but anger and holding unforgiveness towards others are things that we frequently over look; much the same as putting other gods before God, for we do not realize what we are doing until we are confronted in such matters; much the same as the 'Rich Young Ruler'. "He hath also prepared for him instruments of death", which is what the Rich Young Ruler contemplated, as he walked away, saddened by the words of Jesus; coming to find the way to inherit eternal life, he walked away, faced with the possibility of eternal damnation and death. The "persecutors" are those that destroy love and friendships, much like a fire destroys all that is in it's path. And just like the rebellion in the hearts of those that died in the wilderness, a heart that is motivated by hurt will not repent, because it feels that it is owed something to it for that hurt; as though, only the hurt of the other will satisfy the hurt that they feel. But really, if you think about what we have been given in comparison to what we might have suffered, we should have no reason to hold anything against anyone; none whatsoever!

"The Briar Patch"

"He hath prepared for him the instruments of death; He ordaineth His arrows against the persecutors." (Psalms 7:13) Maybe the best way to consider the choice before us, is to view what is awaiting us if we turn not. After all, the law was put in place to lead us to Christ; in other words, we are instructed by the law to the things that we lack the ability to accomplish; and seeing that they are really nothing by which we can adhere to, they actually become that by which we judge ourselves! Case in point: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" is the first of God's commandments given to Moses in Exodus 20:3, and seeing that it was the first one, I thought it should be the easiest one to examine. Let's go to the example within the Scriptures, instead of me trying to make one up, and let's look at someone we are familiar with, "The Rich Young Ruler". There are three accounts of this encounter with Jesus, Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-31, and Luke 18:18-30; and because I hold to the belief that this young man was Mark, I will therefore look at his version. First of all, Mark's version is the only one which says, "there came one running, and kneeled down to Him"; the others are less specific, and at the very best, say, "and behold, one came and said unto Him". The first thing to note about this encounter, is that the young man addresses Jesus, as "Good Master", and Jesus answers back, "Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is God." The other interesting thing about this encounter, is that Jesus does not mention this commandment about "no other gods" when questioning him about the commandments. To which the young man answer's, "Master, all these things have I observed from my youth". Another little thing to notice, is that Mark's version of what happened, is the only one that says, "Then Jesus beholding him loved him", before telling him that there was one thing that he lacked. And what was that one thing that he lacked? Well, it surely was not a desire to inherit eternal life, was it? He had lacked to place God before all other gods, and had made riches his God; at least for a short while. But in the mean time, he had to ponder something which Jesus said; something else that is not mentioned in the other versions; something which was specific to the one performing the task! The difference between Mark's version and the others, is that Mark's version includes these words: "take up thy cross"! This is the point made of a sacrifice for God, it is something that causes us to deny ourselves, those pleasures of this world, and to give our all for Him. Pleasures of this world; now that is a very touchy subject! God had made everything for man to enjoy, and to take pleasure in; after all, God Himself took pleasure in all that He created. However, when the pleasures come before our God, then we have an issue; and yet, there are many who have placed the trust of money and material things before the loving provisions that God would have for us. Let me see if I can make this a little clearer, and quote what Jesus said, in Mark's version: "Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God". The point being, that trusting in riches will cause a man to take his trust and his desire off of God, and to place it instead upon the things of this world. The people that heard Jesus were astonished, wondering, "Who then can be saved?"; and the part that so many love to focus upon, is when Jesus says, "With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible". Whew; you had me worried for a second there; because I thought it was going to be impossible! Interesting enough, Jesus was not done with this yet, as Peter begins to brag a little, and say, "Lo, we have left all, and have followed Thee". To which Jesus answered with this: "Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's. But he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. But many that are first shall be last: and the last first." I know that many will not understand what I am about to say, but to summarize what Jesus just said, I will simply say this: IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL...

"The Crevice"

"If he turn not, He will whet His sword; He hath bent His bow, and made it ready." (Psalms 7:12) What? You can not hide from God! Although, many there be that think God cannot find them, nor even cares where they hide. However; He does not even need to search for us, because we shall all end up in His presence! Yet, His mercy endures for ever!!! To some, this verse might seem to be a picture of a vengeful God; one who is just waiting to pronounce judgement upon those that are wicked; but this is not so. First of all: God is patient towards us; yet, He is ready to judge those that do not turn towards Him. That is the key! That we turn towards Him!!! There are two different instruments of warfare mentioned in this verse, the sword and the bow; one is used for close combat, the other for distance. Think about this for a moment, and try to imagine how different these two instruments are used; one is used for face to face combat; while the other is used for distant and less personal conquest. Okay; you might need some further illustration to help you see this in a different light. The main point that is being made has to do with those that "turn not"; in other words, they choose not to turn from their wicked ways. In this, there are two ways by which they can continue: they can continue to hide, or they can try and run. If they continue to hide, He will sharpen His sword; which if you can, imagine the sound of it being sharpened as you try and hide yourself from His sight. But, if they choose to run, then He has readied His bow: it is already bent and ready to strike! The point being, that there is no way around us facing His judgement, unless we turn completely from our wicked ways! Okay; you still need some help? How about this: we do not get the pleasure of picking the terms of our surrender!!! I know that we sometimes wish that there was a pause button on our life of redemption; as if we could take a break from being fashioned in His likeness, just long enough to wet our whistle at the bar of sin; but this is not what true repentance is all about. There is no watered down version of holiness; although, that is what we are looking for, and that which we want to hear. Do you know what I am talking about? Well then, here is an example: the sermon for today is Holiness, so you prepare your heart to be changed; and yet, you go away relieved to hear, that you are still just a sinner, who has been saved by grace. But you see, there is another reason for those who died in the wilderness, choosing not to look upon that Brazen Serpent which Moses lifted up: they were willing to take their chances with death, rather than to receive a complete healing and to be changed!!! Why were they dying in the first place? Was it not from having a rebellious heart? The object that they needed to look upon was for them to surrender; which meant that they needed to humble themselves enough to but gaze upon it; yet, their rebellious heart would not allow it, because in so doing, they must have been willing to turn from their rebellion, and to turn towards God. Maybe we can't see yet what we must turn to? And then again, maybe we can; yet, we turn not, because we know what that requires...

"The Hollows"

"God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day." (Psalms 7:11) Feel like playing the odds? By now you should have noticed the significant titles that I have given to each of these postings; all of which are characteristic to the places in which this ball ends up, or effects that the ball is subject to as it continues down this journey. Why a ball, you might be wondering? Well, I guess it just seemed to fit best as to the way we are rolling, bouncing, and even sometimes detour through our daily lives. What we have here today, is the place that I have chosen as the Hollows; which are formed by river valleys, that may be relatively dry clefts with a notch like characteristic in that they have a height of land and consequent water divides in the their bases. Remember that this is a wandering song, and as such, it traverses down a path where there are things which control it, and things which it effects; all of which are predicated on the form that it has taken. Anywho; this verse that we have before us today; well, let's just say that it has both aspects of control and effect, all rolled up in one! I could liken it to the care that I give to my wife; in that, as I care for her, she is cared for, for me to care for her yet another day; and in that care that I give her, she blesses me with her presence each and every day that she is still with me! For, "God judgeth the righteous" speaks about Him governing the lives of those who are righteous. In other words; those that are righteous are governed by His Spirit; those that are wicked, well, not so much! As a matter of fact, David takes this right to the point, by saying, "and God is angry with the wicked every day"; meaning, every day that they live in wickedness, God's wrath is upon their lives, like a curse, waiting to judge them with the righteous anger of a Holy God! I can't believe some of these studies that our tax dollars are spent on; as I heard the latest 28 year long study about the effects of eating red meat upon our chances of getting cancer. I was watching them cook up some really nice looking Ribeyes, yet they were speaking about Pork byproducts. Who comes up with this stupidity? And the radio version was even worse, as they gave some made up statistic about a 19% better chance of not getting cancer for every day that you do not eat red meat; or some such nonsense! How about this: you have 100% chance of going to Hell every day that you walk in wickedness!!! There is only one way to become righteous in God's eye, and that is by being covered in the blood of His Son Jesus Christ! And when we are made righteous, He governs our lives!!!

"The Valley Floor"

"My defense is of God, which saveth the upright in heart." (Psalms 7:10) And then again, maybe David was making a request instead of asking a question! I don't know, but do you think there could be an internal struggle going on; and maybe, just maybe there is a coexistence taking place on a much smaller scale? "O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins." This would be something like Paul saying, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8:1) And if you know what led up to the "therefore", then you should know it was the verses from 7:14 through 7:25, where Paul was speaking about 'Sin Lives in Me'; starting out with, "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin." The idea of what Paul is saying, is that the law is the influence upon our lives to do what is right before God; which speaks of our rational soul: as a part of man which is akin to God and serves as his instrument or organ. But, he then declares that he is carnal, meaning that he fleshly, and has the appetite to satisfy the flesh; being "sold under sin", which means, entirely under the control of the loving of sin. This is our inheritance passed down from our fathers; that which we were born into, and what we naturally are outside of Jesus Christ! In this realization of who we are outside of Christ, there is only one way that we can have an upright heart, and that is to get on our face before God!!! "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." (Romans 7:24-25) To be abundantly clear, there is nothing we could do about our situation, because we were trapped in sin, yet bound by the law; and the only thing to possibly release us from this condemnation would be death of the flesh, which is that carnal part of us that feeds upon sin. Which Paul speaks about in Romans 8:8-10, "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." We could spend hours and hours going over the things that Paul speaks about here in the Book of Romans, but for now, I would like to understand what David is saying here in verse ten; because, if verse nine is a statement of that which is the internal struggles of the heart, then the later portion of that verse is very condemning; for it says, "for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins"; which then means, that there is no hope for our wicked hearts, because God proves them wicked. However; when David says, "but establish the just", he is speaking about those that are justified by God, being made secure; which means, to be established in what God has accomplished for us; or in David's case, what God would be doing on his behalf! With that; let me say this again: There is absolutely no way that we can have an upright heart without a contrite spirit; therefore, we must humble ourselves before a Holy God and beg for mercy; and He will lift us up!

"The Canyon"

"O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins." (Psalms 7:9) Okay; now how many, after reading my last statement from yesterday, "By asking God to govern our lives", said, 'Well, duh; as if we didn't know that'? You are not alone; because I even asked it of myself; yet, we do not allow Him the opportunity to do that which we have asked Him to do!!! Time and time again I see brothers and sisters who say that they are governed by God, yet as soon as someone ruffles their feathers, they do not present a heart that proves they are governed by God; but one which shows they are about their own business, and not the Lord's. There are two types of people which David is speaking about here: the wicked and the just; both of which are people associated with each other, or are people who mingle together; in other words, they coexist together. The reason that we can begin to assume this is so, is by the last part of the verse, which says, "for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins". We all know what "the heart" means, but "reins" speak of the seat of emotion and affection; and the word "trieth" means to prove, or to examine. The main difference that is between these two people, is the one is guilty and one is not! You must know by now, that the answer given in many disputes between couples, friends, brothers and sisters; you name it, the answer given is always, 'There are two sides to every story'. I learned how this works from a very young age; while in third grade, it became apparent to me that disputes between classmates always had two sides to them; but let me get into a dispute with my teacher, and all bets were off. If you know anything about geology, then you should know, that a canyon is a deep narrow valley that is worn by a river; in other words, as the river moves through a particular valley, it takes with it bits and pieces of the earth, until eventually there is a canyon which has been formed. As is the case with most canyons, they usually create a divide, or a two sided valley; which makes crossing from one side to the other more difficult, especially as time goes on. This is a little illustration of what happens when we have disputes among each other; and, as is the case of the river, it moves on down the valley, taking with it the loose particles of the earth; so too, the discord sown within the body will do the same with those that are not securely fastened in the Lord; taken down the river, and who knows where they might end up! So; if we truly are asking God to govern our lives, then who's at fault? Who is guilty? This is more or less David's question, put forth in the form of a statement: "O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just": for who ever is guilty, and whoever is just, "the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins"...

"The Big Bounce"

"The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me." (Psalms 7:8) How serious are we about getting right with God? "What have I done? What have I done again? What have I continued to do?" You might know the scene from the movie Year One, as Cain continues to plummet Abel in the head with a rock; each time he hits him, he immediately repents for his action; that is until his brother moves again, at which time he hits him again, and then repents again; until finally his brother is dead, and he is now about covering up for his actions. Repentance is more than just turning from sin; real repentance requires that we turn towards righteousness! God warned Cain about what unrighteousness can do, and that instead, he should do well; however, if he did not well, sin would be waiting at the door. These are two different types of "judge" that David is speaking of; the first one means to govern, as in to govern Thy people; the second one means to judge, as in to govern my cause, or to be an arbitrator in my defence. There is a reason that David was called "A man after God's own heart", and it had to do with getting close to God! In other words; just turning from sin will not get us close to God, it will help us not to sin; but sin will always be waiting at the door. Instead, we must turn towards righteousness; which means, doing that which is right; which sets us on the path of righteousness! In case you did not get that meaning; it means that our life is set on a different path! In other words; there are two paths that we have to choose from: one is that of sin, and not sinning; while the other, is the path of righteousness, of which sin is not an option. Jesus has provided for us a path of righteousness; wherein, we are placed upon that path by what He accomplished on the cross for our sin. When we do sin, we have stepped off of that path, and onto the path of sin; therefore, we must not only turn from that sin which we have committed, but step back onto that path of righteousness; otherwise, sin will be waiting at the door! What am I saying here is quite simple: we simply must do what is right! And how do we do that? By asking God to govern our lives...

"The Cliff-Face"

"So shall the congregation of the people compass Thee about: for their sakes therefore return Thou on high." (Psalms 7:7) If it's going to start somewhere, and with someone, then why not let it be me? Have you ever wondered that to yourself? And if so, how far did you get with that, before turning around and heading the other way? Sometimes, the only way to actually see the face of the cliff, is to jump! Right about now, you are probably wondering what the heck I am talking about, and whether or not I am even speaking about the verse above, at all? But here is the thing that I believe David is getting at; and it has to do with a little thing that is called, Leading By Example; and as we shall see tomorrow, this is a serious matter! For many in the church, life as a believer is mundane; with each day rolling into the next; never really expecting, nor looking for God to do anything spectacular within their everyday life. It's kind of like that old expression: Just Going With the Flow. For David, his life was not structured as one who 'just goes with the flow', but rather, as someone who went against the flow, for most of his life; as someone which took a chance with God, even though others went the other way, he choose to do it the way that he felt was best. You can see this kind of structure demonstrated in his first public battle with Goliath; as Saul tried to fit him in is armor, before he set out to face the giant; yet David refused the armor, saying, "I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them". The word "return" that David is using here, as in, "for their sakes therefore return Thou on high", speaks about refreshing, as in, to refresh God's Spirit upon the people as they turn to Him for direction, having been made weary. This is a serious battle; therefore, we must be serious about fighting for our very souls!!! If it has to start somewhere, and with someone, then why not you? I pray that God would refresh His Spirit upon my life, upon my family, upon my church, upon this nation, and upon this world; that brothers and sisters throughout, would get serious about making a stand for Jesus Christ! Saying, Lord, do something spectacular in my life today; don't let me waste the time I have been given; but for the sake of those within my life, return Thou on high!!! "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure." (1 John 3:1-3)

"The Plateau"

"Arise, O LORD, in Thine anger, lift up Thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that Thou hast commanded." (Psalms 7:6) Remembering what caused David to write this particular Psalm, and what Shimei the Benjamite really represented, it is really not hard to understand the point that is being made. Going back to 2 Samuel 16:13 & 14, we can see something that took place in the heart of David and his men, because of this character Shimei. "And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hillside over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust. And the king, and all the people that were with him, came weary, and refreshed themselves there." This word "refreshed" is a word that speaks about 'taking a breath'; to breath strongly, to pant; to rest, or to cease from working; to refresh any one. Knowing what it is that the enemy will try and accomplish, as he taunts us, we must realize that his intention is to make us weary, on so many levels! Weary of our church; weary of our leadership; weary of our abilities to serve God; weary of our brothers and sisters, and their actions; and most of all, weary of our own personal relationship with God! The point that David is making, when he says, "and awake for me to the judgment that Thou hast commanded", is that of establishment. In other words; it is a request for God to awaken to him the ordinances of His commission; which is to say, that which God has established. A really good example of this, would be the words that Jesus spoke to Peter when He asked him three times, "Peter do you love me?" The point that is being made, has to do with our calling; whereas, God has called us to a particular work, which is His establishment for our lives. In that, our response must be to love Him, and to love each other; knowing also, that the enemy will do everything within his power to distract us from doing just that! When we can get to a point where we can see this, and when we can realize the craftiness of his ways, then we can begin to take charge of the commission that we have been given within God's kingdom...

"The Second Bump"

"Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah." (Psalms 7:5) Just in case you did not know, Gath was the city that Goliath came from; FYI. Anyways; let's get hold of this verse; shall we? How innocent are you of offending another? Are you innocent enough to say this? Because, that is what David is saying here! David never would have come against Saul; he had several chances to take him out, and did not; and if he would have been allowed to fight within the ranks of the Philistines, then he would have delivered them into Saul's hand. If only we could have this attitude when it comes to division and contention towards each other! However; in reality, this is in fact the truth! The problem is, that we just do not realize that it is so! This is what happens to our spiritual life when we harbor unforgiveness in our hearts; the enemy has his way in us! Oh, we may not realize what is happening; nor, will we acknowledge in our hearts that it is so; not until we take the time to evaluate our hearts, and to seek God's guidance within this specific area of our lives. For example: if we have an issue against a certain brother or sister, no matter who is at fault, we must strive to make amens with them! It should be something that is set at the forefront of our minds; knowing that it gives the enemy a foothold in our lives, whenever we have an issue with another brother or sister in Christ. But what about the hurt, you might be asking? It is but a flesh wound! Greater is the elimination of a limb, than a little scratch upon our arm! Besides; the healing that takes place when we surrender everything to Christ, is far greater than enough to heal our little scratches; just look at the relationship between Paul and Mark...

"The Thicket"

"If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy;)" (Psalms 7:4) Oh, how we can really mess things up, when we become selfish and vain, and in how we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ! If you say that you don't know what I am talking about, well, good for you; maybe? However; there is something that takes place in our hearts and in our minds, as we imagine their plots against us; when in reality, they were just going through some trial of their own: there really was nothing going on; but now there is; and nobody, now, knows how to deal with it! It really is a case of 'who hurt who'; and in such a case, there is hardly any forgiveness offered; mostly because, no one knows what to offer forgiveness for: just that they feel wronged, and they expect to receive an apology. I have been an Elder in my church for many years, and I have witnessed this type of division time and time again. Sometimes, I wonder, What is wrong with these people; and why can't they just shake hands, give each other a hug, and press on for the kingdom of God? Vanity!!! That is all that I can place the blame upon; when it comes to reconciliation, our vanity is what gets in the way. Try to undo something that was never really done! It's hard to do! Yet, this is the hardest thing for us to deal with amongst each other; because no one wants to accept the blame for something that is nothing to begin with. And yet; we all know who is really to blame: he who sows discord amongst us!!! David is speaking of something for which he can easily be held responsible in doing; however, if that is what he is speaking about, then he knows that he is guilty. Therefore, I believe there is something else he is trying to say, in as few of words as possible; because, this is a song; a wandering song, which moves from one person of interest onto another, and from one place to focus upon to another. I have no doubt that David is speaking of a friend, as he remembers previous relationships in his life; one in particular comes to mind, and that is Jonathan, the son of Saul. At the time of Jonathan's death, which was at the hands of the Philistines, David was living amongst the Philistines in the land of Gath; where Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath, befriended David and gave him the city of Ziklag for him and all his mighty men to dwell. David continued to dwell within the land of the Philistines for a period of sixteen months, and spent time there invading neighboring cities, yet telling Achish that he had invaded the lands of Israel. The day had come when the armies of Israel were gather to fight against the armies of the Philistines, and David was in their ranks; which caused the lords of the Philistines to ask Achish to have David sent away, because they did not trust he would not fight against them as the battle progressed. As David and his men were headed back to Ziklag, they saw smoke ascending up from that city, only to find that all their wives and children, and all their possessions had been taken away by the Amalekites. So, David pursued the Amalekites, getting everything back; however, in the meantime, Saul and his three sons were killed upon the battlefield, including Jonathan, David's friend! Never, never take your focus off the enemy of our souls!!! We get distracted by selfishness, our own honour, and even letting pride come between us and our brothers and sisters. The enemy will use these things to harden our hearts against one another; and we must know that!!! Yet, we don't accept it as so, time and time again....

"The Pit"

"O LORD my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands;" (Psalms 7:3) Do you like the game of Golf? I love watching it on the final day of the match, and seeing if the one who is in the lead going into that day, can keep the lead; because the odds are against them, and most likely they will begin to fall apart before they reach the back nine. If it is not someone that you are in favor of winning, then more than likely, you will be rejoicing at their demise; maybe even clapping each and every time they bogey another hole. Now; imagine for just a moment, that the one you were rooting against, could witness you rejoicing at his situation; would he wonder in himself, What have I ever done to you? Well then; can you begin to understand the question that David is pondering within his heart? The key to his question, is in the two words "iniquity" and "hands"; for the word iniquity that is used in this verse, speaks of that which has to do with judgement, as in wrongful judgement, or wicked judgement of another. It also speaks of poor judgement; something that is like assuming something that is not; as in, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God". The word "hands" is a word which speaks of clapping; as in two hands cupped together and slapping against each other. Do you see where I am going here? How often have we clapped our hands in our hearts for those that have fallen or been persecuted, only because we may not see eye to eye with what they believe or say? Sometimes, we may not even know the reason that we are against them; it could just be the way that they look, or the way they dress; but for whatever reason, we rejoice within our heart as they are taken down a notch or two! Let me explain the problem in this; which is something that is from the very 'pit of hell'. The first thing that we must consider whenever we have this kind of thing happen in our heart, is that we are all members of the body of Christ; each and everyone of us are members together of His body; and when we do this to another, we are actually doing this unto ourselves! Okay; let me put this another way. Let's say that there are two sets of spectators who are watching the demise of a brother or sister; one set are those that are part and parcel of who they are in Christ, while the other set are the devil and his minions. Now, who's side do you think that you are on while you are clapping in your heart? "That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular." (1 Corinthians 12:25-27)

"The First Bump"

"Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver." (Psalms 7:2) I hope I do not lose you, if I haven't already; but this is a wandering song, and I have made this little journey something of a picture in my mind; which is that of a big rubber ball rolling through all sorts of different obstacles. But feel free to make your own illustrations; just remember, things can get a little bouncy along the way, so you might want to adjust for that! "Lest he tear my soul like a lion"; now I wonder who David is speaking of? The first thing to notice here, is that "lest" is the continuation of verse one, which I did not get to yesterday, because it was for today. "Save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me; lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver." That is how verse two begins to make sense, because the beginning of verse one, is that of David proclaiming that "in Thee do I put my trust"; which is then followed by the illustrated reason why. There is absolutely no way that we can continue down this road, without putting our full trust in God!!! "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) When David is referring to his soul, he is referring to his will to carry on. What this implies, is that of trusting that God will deliver, even though that there are those that persecute him, he shall put his trust in God; otherwise, the enemy shall render his will to go on, making him believe that there is none to deliver. This is the confidence that we have in Christ: that no matter what fiery trial comes our way, we are not only protected, but we are partakers of His sufferings; making our sufferings that which shall bring glory onto Him. Again; this ability to be confident in this, is based upon our acceptance of His forgiveness; whereas, we know that we are forgiven, being washed in His blood, and that nothing can tear us from His mighty hand! Although, it is good to evaluate our lives, as we shall see; we do so with the understanding of who we are in Christ, which is that of being chosen by Him. We cannot ever forget that! Because; each and every trial that we face is for His glory to be revealed in us; refining us, and making us more into His image. If we focus our attention upon those that persecute us, then we are going to miss the blessing which was meant to be received by the trial; instead, holding things in our hearts against those that we feel have done us wrong. This is the thing about true forgiveness, in that there is nothing held against us; likewise, there is nothing that we hold against those that we have forgiven...

"The Roll Begins"

"O LORD my God, in Thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me;" (Psalms 7:1) As with any trial that we face, our first reaction is to plead for mercy. It is our natural reaction to that of self preservation. The question we are faced with in our time of trials, is, Why? Why is this happening Lord? In this, David clearly says, "in Thee do I put my trust"; which is to say, LORD, I really don't know why, or even what shall come of this, but I trust in You. If you did read the portion of Scripture in 2 Samuel 16:5-14, then you should know that David did not let any harm come to this raving idiot; but instead, let him curse and throw rocks at both him and his mighty companions, as they walked down the road, trying to mind their own business. He even went as far as to say that God sent him out there to curse him; as if to say that he deserved it. However, when you see the message delivered by this man, there is only one place that this message could have come from! "And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial: the LORD hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the LORD hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou art a bloody man." (2 Samuel 16:7 & 8) So; here is the thing that David is facing within his own heart: Do I deserve this? What say you? For, anyone who was not for David, would most likely say that he deserved being called 'a man of blood'; but anyone who could understand the scope of the charge, would want to chop off Shimei's head! Do you see what I am getting at? Yes, No; Maybe so? Okay; first off, David was called by God to be the king; and if you know the story, he did not take Saul's kingdom from him. Sure, he may have done wrong by sinning with Bathsheba; and for that, he was suffering with the humiliation of Absalom's revolt. But he was anointed king by God! We who are called by Jesus Christ into His kingdom, are chosen by Him; and as such, we might mess up, but we have still been chosen for His purposes. The enemy will try to use our sins against us, as to try and make us believe that we have not been called, but that we are in a wrong standing; making us question whether we were even called at all. Forgiveness starts in our own hearts! Surely we have been given forgiveness for our sins by the blood of Jesus Christ, but that forgiveness begins when we accept it within our heart; knowing that He has chosen us and that He has died in our place, we walk upright and in the spotlight of that forgiveness! Do you question His calling upon your life? "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

"The Roaring Lion"

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour; whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethern that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Jesus Christ, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 5:8-11) The introduction to Psalms Seven, is about as complex as the Psalm itself; yet, once understood, it makes perfect sense! Within this introduction are several things that are rarely shown anywhere else in Scripture, and they are modifiers in there own right, because they speak of something other than what they say. In the above passages of Scripture, Peter is warning us of the devil and his attempts to destroy those that have been called into God's kingdom; of which he is speaking from experience! Here in Psalms Seven, we have the same situation, whereas David is also speaking from experience, and his introduction to this Psalm is based upon personal experience! "Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto the LORD, concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite." To start to understand this introduction, or at least to see what I am seeing from this, we should envision a roaming song. I envision a black man in coveralls and a straw hat, walking and singing down the road, with blue birds circling around him; or Dorothy and her companions skipping down the road on the way to meet the wizard. The word 'Shiggion' is only found in two places, here in this introduction, and then again in Habakkuk 3:1; although, in my Bible the two are spelt a little differently. Looking up this definition, you find this: song?; used in title of Psalm 7; meaning doubtful. Not much help in that is there? However, when looking to what others have said that this word means, there are several examples; two of them in particular that I like; one is that of a 'wandering song', while the other is that of a 'charming song'. For now, I would like us to look at this through the prism of a 'wandering song'; which has several very distinct meanings: one is that of wandering down the road; another, is that of the wake made upon the water; and another, is that of a wandering adversary. If you look up the word "Cush", you will not find anyone that is associated with the tribe of Benjamin; however, what you will find is a person named Shimei the Benjamite, who was from the house of Saul. If you read the encounter that David had with this character in 2 Samuel 16:5-14, you will see what might be meant by 'wandering adversary'; or better yet: an adversary that taunts you on your way!!! There are a couple things that we must keep in mind when it comes to "the roaring lion" that Peter is speaking of: one is that of vulnerability and the other is of weakness; both are the characteristics that are looked for in the people that this lion will devour. The strength that we have in Christ is based upon location and our position in Him; in other words, we do not want to be found outside the body, nor should we forget our standing in Jesus Christ. The word "Cush" that David is using here, describes someone who is not what they should be; in other words; Shimei the Benjamite, although a real Israelite, and from the tribe of Benjamin, he was far from acting as such; and to a greater degree, was acting as someone who was from a much darker place...

"A Prayer for Justice"

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8 & 9) As we begin Psalms Seven, there is placed above this Psalm a title, which I have made the title of this post: "A Prayer for Justice". And, as I have said before in a previous post, ("The Converted Soul" from September 17, 2010), that God's mercy is given freely, but His grace must be received. To understand the meaning of what it is that I was talking about, we must totally understand what true forgiveness really means; both the forgiveness that we have received, as well as the forgiveness that we give unto others, including ourselves. I know that I have shared on this before; yet many people that I have spoken to about this subject have not been able to receive what I am saying, and have rejected the idea of Jesus being able in to not only help us to forgive others, but to also remove the hurt. What this is saying, is, Sure, I forgive them for what they did, but I still feel the hurt by what they did, and that is okay. Is it??? Why don't you ask them if it is okay, and see what they think about that! Because, I am sure that they would still feel guilty for what they had done, even though you have said that you forgave them; because the hurt says otherwise! There is something about unforgiveness that we must know, and see the darkness that is associated with it; and yes, I said darkness; for with unforgiveness, comes all the powers of hell with it, because it is contrary to the whole message of what God's grace is all about! Within this Psalm that we are about to go into, is all the forms of forgiveness: that of God's forgiveness towards us, our forgiveness to ourselves, our forgiveness to others, and others forgiveness towards us. The word 'Justice' is a word that means righteousness, piety, virtue; prosperity, justification, salvation, and truthfulness. However; it also means 'Right', and the original meaning is found in the phrase, "What right have I anymore?" This is what God's grace is all about! God's grace is Him giving us what we do not deserve...A Right Standing with Him...

"Transformation"

"Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly." (Psalms 6:10) In 'light' of what has been said up to this point about what I believe that God has been showing me through this Psalm, we are at a point where David has been restored, and God's Spirit is manifested upon his life. What we could call this, is a transformation to the Light, and to that of godliness; whereas, those to whom he referred to as his enemies, are not only made ashamed and depart bewildered, but when they show back up, they are astounded by his countenance. Because of what we have been talking about is that of spiritual warfare, there is always the chance of those "workers of iniquity" coming back; and they come back in a greater force than when they left! There is a good illustration of how this works in Matthew 12 and in Luke 11; both of these passages of Scripture show how demons will return, and how that they bring with them other demons more wicked then them. Now why do you think that might be? I like Luke's version of what transpired before and after Jesus shared about "The Return of the Unclean Spirit". In Luke 11, Jesus starts out teaching His disciples how to pray; then He goes into the "Ask, Seek, and Knock" portion of Scripture, that speaks about the Holy Spirit being given. And then, in verses 14-17, it says, "And He was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. And others, tempting Him, sought of Him a sign from heaven. But He, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth." Jesus then speaks of the house divided, the strong man keeping his palace, the return of the unclean spirit, true blessedness, the demand for a sign, and then finally, the light of the body. It is this "Light of the Body" that I wish to focus upon, for He says in verses 33-36, "No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore, that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light." Now then; we all know that light casts out the darkness; so then, when that darkness has been casted out, and when it returns, it must bring with it stronger demons to try and snuff out that light. This is why it is so vitally important that we make sure that there is no darkness within us at all! We are starting in get there...But we still have some issues of forgiveness!!!

"Alleviation"

"The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer." (Psalms 6:9) What a relief it is when your house is in order! No more skeletons in the closet; no more mischief hiding under the bed; everything equip for complete devotion to godliness and holiness! In the verse which we have before us today, is a continuation of the why, or for what reason of the exile that we looked at yesterday. The point of what we were looking at yesterday, was that those workers of iniquity had to depart, because the LORD had heard the voice of David's weeping! God can and does read our hearts, as well as our minds! He knows when we are serious, and He knows when we are pretending; there is no fooling God! But, here is the things that are pointed out in the verse above; there are two time periods that are present here: the past and future. In other words; there is the reference to "hath", as in, "The LORD hath heard my supplication"; and then there is the definitive "will", as in, "the LORD will receive my prayer". God hears our prayers always, yet He may not receive them! Who do we think that we are fooling!!! Don't you know that God knows the intentions of our heart? He knows what we are going to do, before we even know; that is why He is God!!! Sometimes we forget this very important characteristic of who God is, and that nothing can be hidden from His eyes; for God is ALL SEEING! Therefore; to truly have the legal right to banish those "workers of iniquity" from our lives, then God must receive our prayer as sincere, and they will be banished!!! "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4) This John is speaking about to those that are walking in the True Spirit of God, and are those that receive the testimony of Jesus Christ! In this we know that we are His children, when we love Him and we keep His commandments! It is Love that motivates our heart and our minds to follow His commands, and to separate ourselves from all that is unholy! He has manifested His love towards us in the form of His Son Jesus Christ; how must we manifest our love towards Him? "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment." (Matthew 22:37 & 38) These were the words of Jesus to those that tempted Him as to what was the greatest commandment. So, how is that love which Jesus is speaking about expressed to God? It is by our sincere desire to be holy, because He is Holy! We do this because we love Him, and because we want to be as close to Him as we can possibly be; and anything which is standing between us and Him, we want to be removed! In other words, we want it banished from our lives, so that we can be closer to Him...That is what Love does: it makes us want to be closer!!!