"Or Ungoverned"

"Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the head among people." (Psalms 44:14) I know that this might not make any sense, but sometimes breaking something is what is required to fix it. You see it all the time in business, where someone takes over a failing business, tears it down to size, and then builds it up fresh again; and you see it all the time in failing lives. But in the case with God, when He takes over our life there is something that is generated within us, besides the peace which passes all understanding, there is hope that goes beyond any kind of hope we could have in earthly help or resources. Our hope is in God, where there is no failing, where there is no chance or doubt He can not get things done. I sometimes wonder if we are meant to live this way, having all of this technology, entertainment and luxury; or should we be living more simple lives, lives that are more centered around relationships and depending upon each other for the way we communicate and express emotions. Don't get me wrong, if you know me, then you know how much I love movies; I watch a movie almost every night, sometimes the same movie over and over again. But it, like most other things that are entertaining, helps us cover up a little bit of reality, if not just for the few hours that we are entertained, and then it's right back to life, as messy as life sometimes can be. Was there any point to what I just said? I don't really know; but if we are truly governed by God, then no matter how messy our lives might appear, they are His mess. I can take great comfort in knowing that, because without God this messed up life would be unbearable; yet God can take every messed up thing in my life and use it for good; He can turn the most horrific and catastrophic event into something that transforms a life. So in that regard, it really does not matter what the heathen say, or how much they shake their heads at the calamity we might be experiencing in our lives, because it is God doing something within us; and if we can't see it, then those that are outside sure as heck are not going to see it. But isn't that what hope is all about? 

"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine upon them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body." (2 Corinthians 4:3-10)    

"Or Left Untouched" -2

"Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us." (Psalms 44:13) Sometimes protection requires being placed in an environment that makes us appear unprotected; as with John the Baptist, who had to wonder why God would allow him to be held captive; and since Jesus came to set the captive free, why was he still held captive. Really, is there anything closer to the illustration given by John's doubt, as to how we doubt God's protection upon our lives? How often do we wonder if God's protection upon our lives is reflected by circumstance? The peace that Jesus promised that we would be given is not measured by circumstance, it is based upon a peace that we have with God; it is a peace that comes from knowing that our sins are forgiven, and no matter what might happen to me in this world, I have peace with God, and I am ready to meet my Maker. Who cares what others might think, except that they see the hope that is within me? After all, hope is not based upon where we are at, but is based upon where we are going and what we shall be. As much as we would like to live blessed, and to live a life that shows others how God pours out blessings, the true blessings of God are not measured by what is seen; every miracle that Jesus spoke of to John, but one, was a temporary miracle; the only miracle that went beyond a physical healing was, "the poor have the gospel preached to them"; the poor being those that are in need of salvation, those that are in need of being set free from their sins, and the bondage of sin; of which, the price is far greater than anyone can pay, but Jesus, "The Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world!" (John 1:29). That is where our riches come from, not from this world, but from the peace that we have with God; such a peace, that all the money in the world cannot supply, nor all the comports of this world provide. This is the thing those that do not know Christ don't understand, because it is a peace that cannot be understood, it must be felt, because it comes to life... "And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace, in His kindness toward us, through Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:1-7)  

"Or Left Untouched"

"Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbors, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us." (Psalms 44:13) If only we could see the finish line, maybe then things could be easier; but that's the beauty in all of this, God has already shown us how it will all end, we just need to have faith towards that end. I was reminded about something the other day, it was about John the Baptist, and how John doubted everything towards the end; as he sat there in that prison, he sent his disciples to Jesus, asking, "Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?" (Luke 7:20). Sometimes we pray for miracles to happen, and they do, they happen all the time; maybe not the miracle that we are looking for, but then again, maybe we are to be that miracle to others. Jesus sent them back to John, saying, "Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in Me." It was like Jesus was reminding John of how important his role was in the kingdom of God; reminding John of how he was that voice in the wilderness, that made way for "The Lamb that takes away the sins of the world". Jesus went on the tell the crowd that was around Him, saying of John, "What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings' courts. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. This is he, to whom it is written, Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee. For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." No John was not "a reed shaken with the wind, he was a wind that shook the reeds! He, unlike all the prophets before, was part of that which was to come, and he was witness of the coming. Now he only needed to finish his race; no matter how things might appear, or what kind of answers he was getting on the miracle that he wanted, he needed to stay focused on that place in which he was going, not the place that he was in; because like Jesus said, "He that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than him"... "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, that I might apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-14)

"You Are Not Alone"

"Thou sellest Thy people for nought, and dost not increase Thy wealth by their price." (Psalms 44:12) It has been said that because "God owns the cattle on a thousand hills" (Psalms 50:10), then He can supply all of our needs, almost insisting that they need not worry about anything that has got to do with needs; nice idea, put bad plan, because He owns you also. What that means, as far as this verse is concerned, is that He not only owns you and I, but He owns everything and everyone; as Paul so eloquently stated, "For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen." (Romans 11:36) Yet, there is one thing that we forget about in almost every trial that hits us off guard, which is, God is on the throne! What the heck do we think complaining does in the midst of a trial? It surely will not help our testimony of God's love and mercy, nor will it give anyone a clue what trusting God is meant to be, or how it is meant to look like. One thing is for sure, when we fall apart, neither we or God come out looking any richer from it. God has promised us that He will supply all of our needs (Philippians 4:19), but the problem is, we seldom really know what we need, only what we want. When God had the heathen nations take Israel captive, that did not give Him any glory, and it surely did not make Israel look like they were being well taken care of by God; yet God's love for His people goes far beyond their comfort in this world, because this world is not what it's all about, it's about eternity in heaven. You might have experienced getting disciplined as a child, and prior to your spanking, your father says, This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you; well, it takes on that kind of a picture, but in God's case, He knows the result that will be accomplished; our earthly father could only hope for a change, but our Heavenly Father, He already knows the end result... "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should fall short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as He said, As I have sworn in My wrath, if they shall enter into My rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world." (Hebrews 4:1-3)    

"Don't You Cry..."

"Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen." (Psalms 44:11) If only David knew how bad it would get; then again, maybe God gave him a vision of what was to come. As I was praying and holding my wife this morning, I had that song pop into my head; you know, the one about Daddy is going to buy you this and that; whatever the song is, I spent the next twenty minutes or so crying; I think it's called, "Daddys going to buy you a mockingbird". All that God allows for and causes to happen in our lives, He does so because He loves us; just as He allowed, and still allows, those things to come upon His chosen people of Israel. Even to this day, those that should know Him the most are still waiting for their Messiah to come; but the odd thing is, He will come, but He will come in a way that they did not expect, and declaring something that they did not want to hear; but He will come. From what I read in the Bible, at the time of His coming, about one third of Israel will have been slain; yet the Bible declares that "All of Israel will be saved" (Romans 11:25-29). This is God's doing, and God can do anything that He wants to, and in any manner that He wants, because He is God, and He makes the rules! But in the end, God will be glorified and everyone that is His will be giving Him glory, for ever and ever... "For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy though their unbelief: even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counselour? or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen." (Romans 11:30-36)

"Dealing With Doubt" -3

"Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves." (Psalms 44:10) Why not just call it dealing with sin, since sin is what God was dealing with? Because as we witnessed, Joshua was doubting God's promise, which was not the issue; God was not the issue, the issue was sin, yet it was because of the sin issue that Joshua began to doubt God's promise, not even realizing that there was a sin issue that was to blame. Whether you can accept this or not, but God has used Israel to show us how we are as a person; every single flaw, every single aspect of insecurity, and every single issue that our hearts need to be dealt with, they are all played out in the life of Israel. You can call it spiritualism of the text if you want to, but it is all given as a road map or a manual for our lives; where do you need to go for direction, but to a map? and where do you need to go for leaning what is wrong, but to a manual? Therefore, if there is any kind of doubt as to what God has said or promised, then according to the manual, we need to search out the sin that we have hidden in our hearts. For some of us, that will not be very difficult, but for some, it will take a lot of deep searching by a process of elimination. I will go back to what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5:7, where he speaks about purging out the old leaven; it is the fact that we have been made unleavened in Christ, that we must not allow leaven to exist in us; just as with the model of the church, there really is no difference, the same goes for the example given through the children of Israel. They were delivered by God and given a new land for an inheritance, which was the promised land; the land was not only promised to them by God, but God told them that He would protect them in it, and that He would deliver the enemy into their hands. Yet Joshua had doubt in his heart as to the choice to have crossed the Jordan, which was not only what God instructed them to do, but promised them victory in gaining control of the land; so if there was a problem, why do we automatically think that God has taken back His promise? God's way or getting our attention can sometimes hurt a little... "Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you. In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man. And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accused thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel." (Joshua 7:11-15)  

"Dealing With Doubt" -2

"Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves." (Psalms 44:10) To be perfectly honest, any sin that we hide is wide open for God to see; we are only fooling ourselves if we think otherwise. So, what does sin that we have hidden in our hearts have to do with doubt? Think about this for a moment, because the connection between the two is far greater than we might think. If we believe in a God that knows all and can do all, yet we think that He does not care about or does not notice our sin, then how powerful and holy is God in our mind? If we are talking about prayer for protection, then wouldn't seem logical that God needs to be big enough and powerful enough to protect us, that is if we are praying with sincerity and truth? Much like the blood that was on the doorpost of the night of Passover, the blood was not seen by the ones who were saved, they were inside their houses breaking bread and eating; however, they knew that they were hidden and protected, having done everything that God instructed them to do; but it was the blood that saved them. Our number one thing which we need protection from is anything that would take us from being under the protection of the blood of Jesus Christ, if that were even possible; but the doubt of that protection is a major factor when it comes to the circle that is around us, which are those whom we are breaking bread with, while the world outside is being destroyed. You see, in Joshua 7, because of Achan's sin, God's power had been removed from the children of Israel, and no longer was He driving out the inhabitants of Canaan; which prior to Achan's sin, the inhabitants were pretty much just fleeing on their own because of the reputation of God's people. They had been working together with God, as Joshua and his men did the fighting, God guaranteed the victory; but what should have been a victory, turned into a painful defeat because God was not with them. What do you think that defeat led to?
"And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast Thou brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! O Lord, what shall we say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt Thou do unto Thy great name? And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?" (Joshua 7:6-10)

"Dealing With Doubt"

"Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves." (Psalms 44:10) If you know anything about the children of Israel, then you should know the Lord uses their lives to show us a little bit about ourselves. Sometimes even the simple little stories of the way they were led into captivity and then delivered, as crazy as that might sound, are almost a mirror image of the ways that God will allow us to see what doubt will do to us. Doubt is the opposition to faith, in that doubt opposes what faith stands for, not just hindering faith, but causing us to lose all hope and security in God. You might think that what I said sounds a little strong, but it does not happen over night; once we start doubting anything that God has said, we have set ourselves up to doubt Him for anything that He can do. Try to image what this verse might be talking about; a good illustration is from Joshua 7, which deals with Achan's sin; his sin was that of taking of something from the enemy that was accursed, thereby breaking faith with God; breaking faith means that he doubted what God said about not taking anything of the enemy, but to destroy everything. What's the big deal with taking a little treasure for myself? It's not as if I stopped serving God, but just wanted to enjoy a little pleasure while serving Him. Unlike the power that comes through obedience, there is defeat that comes through disobedience; after all, what kind of faith do you have in God if you think that you can hide your sin from Him?
"Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." (1 Corinthians 5:6-8)

"Faith That Grows" -2

""But Thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies." (Psalms 44:9) Then again, sometimes we really don't see the big picture, we only see what is right in front of us; most of which is just as temporary as we are, and by temporary, I mean here today and gone tomorrow. Alone but not alone, is not just an expression, it has become our existence and our way of life. If we are truly going to walk by faith, then it is not dependent upon what we see, or what we think we see, that will cause our faith to grow; our faith will grow based upon what we believe of God, about who He is, and about His love for us; which are not things that show themselves through our dealings with this world, but are made known in our hearts by having a personal relationship with God; a personal relationship which only is possible through Jesus Christ, and Him alone. I think we forget sometimes how difficult it was for Jesus as He walked upon this earth; He had no home which He would go to every night (Matthew 8:20), nor was He treated very well by those He came to save. If we were going to look at His life for how our life should be lived, then I think we fall way short in comparison; at least I know that my life does, as I enjoy the comforts of a home, and I do not have people that are out to kill me, at least I don't think I do. In that regard, I think we have it pretty good; however, it is not the comforts of this world we are to be looking to, or our standing in this world, because none of that really matters in the end; the only thing that really matters in the end, is our relationship with Jesus Christ, and whether or not we are known by Him... "And I say unto you My friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: but he that denieth Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God." (Luke 12:4-9)

"Faith That Grows"

"But Thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies." (Psalms 44:9) This is not your average everyday walk in the park, this is hell compared to the place that the Lord has prepared for us; so we had better not fall in love with it. Basically, and without getting too carried away with rational thinking, sometimes God needs us to see our need for Him by experience; if we had everything handed to us, and if we were well taken care of, not having a care in the world, then we would become spoiled, just like a kid that always gets what they want and never needs feels what it's like to know hunger. Think of a child that is told not to touch fire because it will hurt, yet they do not understand what hurt feels like, so they must find out for themselves through the experience of hurt. It's not that God wants us to have to experience pain and agony in this place, because He gave of Himself to put an end to our sufferings; but He needs us to see things for what they are, and this place in which we live will burn us. How bad do we need God's protection? I would say that we need His protection more than we realize, because if we could actually see the spiritual battle that is all around us, then we would probably what to where a protective suit, much like the Mormons wear their protective underwear. Now it comes down to us needing protection from this world; a world that is full of devices that can cause us to draw close enough that we can and will get burned. What are we fighting for? are we fighting to hold onto the things in this life? or are we fighting to lose this life and all that it holds in us? As for the "shame", we must realize how our faith looks to the rest of the world; for those that do not know Christ, they see no need to put faith in anything other than this world, because it is this world, in their minds, that gives them life. That is kind of a scary thought, but it's true; and if you see by the news how things are falling apart, then you should be relieved to know that it is not our world... "And as He sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of this world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name's sake." (Matthew 24:3-9)

"Faith That Knows"

"In God we boast all the day long, and praise Thy name for ever. Selah." (Psalms 44:8) I get that; at least I think I do. So what are we to do, but praise God for what He has done? He knows our heart, and He knows what is required to get us to see things His way; which brings this prayer for protection into a whole new light of understanding. Usually when two sets of people are at war, it is because they have two totally different points of view; one has the way they see things, while the other sees things another way; typical for people of different origins to not see eye to eye. God's ways are totally different than our ways (Isaiah 55:8), as God's ways are eternal and holy, while ours are temporal and unrighteous. The party which surrenders to the other must be willing to change; so too, we that surrender to God must be willing to be changed, and in so doing, we welcome with gladness all that God brings us through in order to bring about that change He wants to accomplish within us. Unlike my example of one enemy surrendering to the other, with God, He loves us, therefore He is not our enemy, but is our loving Father that only wants what is best for our eternal life. Therein is the key, our eternal life! You think of all those people that Jesus healed; the blind that were given sight, the lame that were made to walk, even the dead that were brought back to life; how long did that healing really last? Not very long at all; not when you compare those few years they had remaining with an eternity in heaven. If we know where it is that we are going, then it changes our perspective on the way we view where we are at. If I know that I am going to be with the Lord in heaven, then I welcome the Lord to do whatever is necessary in order to prepare me for that place; taking my eyes off of this place, and setting them towards heaven... "Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given him hath written unto you; as in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." (2 Peter 3:11-18)    

"Faith That is Sure"

"But Thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us." (Psalms 44:7) You are only going to have faith that is as strong as what you put your faith in; if you put your faith in yourself, and try and place any trust in your own abilities, then your faith is surely going to not stand the test. That is hard for us to understand, although we think that we have it all figured out, until something hits us that is way out of our control, then we freak out. Why is that so? Could it be something as simple as where we have placed our faith? I am not saying that we don't have faith in God, He is always there, and we get that; it's more about what we have placed between us and God, more than anything else. Putting into practice the act of surrendering to God is a lot harder than we sometimes realize, only because surrender does not stop at the changed heart; surrender goes all the way to the very end. Think of someone that you might be at war with, someone who surrenders to you, as to say, I give up; did they give up because they were in a tight situation, or did they give up because they were surrendering to your rules? If they surrendered, and then went right back to living as before, have they truly surrendered at all? or were they just buying time so as to figure out a different strategy to try and win the war? If we are placing all of faith in God, then in Him must all of our faith be placed; yet, we place our faith in God, and then instantly set out to walk in our own strength, as if God has bestowed upon us some sort of power that has been granted us, when the power is only in Him. Try a little humility, and just realize that you are totally worthless without God's grace; if it were not for His grace, then we would still be stuck in darkness, not knowing who He is, or what it is that we shall become... "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." (Galatians 1:6-10)

"Tested Faith" -2

"For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me." (Psalms 44:6) Yes, hope is that which keeps us afloat, and helps us cope; if we don't have hope, then what's the use? Which really goes back to the whole point of "A Prayer for Protection", because the power of our prayer is going to be in line with the hope that is within us; if our hope in God is weak, then our prayer for protection will also be weak; weak in the sense that we lack what it takes to really believe that the Lord will do what He said He would do, and that we should never need to suffer more than we can bear (John 15 & 16). Try telling that to someone that is in the middle of something horrific, their only answer is, Make it go away! The Holy Spirit is not only our Helper, but He is also our Comforter, to bring us peace in a time where peace is not heard of, and to give us hope in light of the which appears before us. How else do we truly know that we have faith, if our faith is not tested? It is just like anyone that is competing in a sports event, to win the event, they must practice to win, so too is the testing of our faith; with every little trial we become stronger, and with each and every thing that we suffer through, He is given glory by the hope that is within us (John 15:1). If you study these verses that we have looked at thus far, there is a pattern between the "We" and the "I", where we have, "We have heard", and "Through Thee will we push down"; yet on the other hand, we becomes personal when it comes to our faith, as in, "Thou art my King", and "I will not trust in my bow". This I believe is very important to how we must view our trials and tribulations, because they are things that effect more than just ourselves, yet they are totally up to us; in other words, to you has been given the opportunity to either give God the glory or to look for what can be seen to be the answer. God works in our circumstances, and when our circumstances are great, God gets to work great things... "But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, faith, love, patience, and meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold of eternal life, whereunto thou art called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Jesus Christ, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: which in His times He shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen." (1 Timothy 6:11-16)  

"Tested Faith"

"For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me." (Psalms 44:6) Since we now have come to an understanding of the power of the cross, and how it is in Christ alone that we have any power to defeat not only the enemy that is without, but the enemy that is within, what now do we do with this new found understanding? This is a test; and in case you have not been listening, it's time to lay our weapons down, because they are useless; the victory is in Christ, and has already been won. Jesus has removed those chains that had bound us to sin and to the bondage of sin, and He has placed us upon a path of righteousness and of freedom in Him. Does that mean we do not sin? No, there is only one who is truly righteous, and that is Jesus; we are sinners that have been washed by the blood of Christ, and it is only by His blood that be have been given righteousness; which means that we have a right standing with the Father, because when the Father looks at us, He sees the blood of His Son that is covering us. You see, that's one thing that we tend to misunderstand, the blood is not really for us, it's for God; it is God who sees the blood; it is God who is the one that condemns, and it is God who is the one that justifies, not us; yet, how many times do we catch ourselves condemning and justifying ourselves by our actions? We have no power whatsoever in ourselves to condemn or justify, that has been taken care of on the cross; we only need to believe, and the blood of Christ is what justifies us; those that do not believe, they are condemned already (John 3:18). Now then, how does this work in trials? or is there a similarity? I heard a very interesting story from Pastor Jack yesterday, and it had to do with a experiment that was performed with Wharf Rats; where they placed the rats in a drum of water, and left the water low enough where they could not get out; after 15 minutes, the rats gave up trying to swim and they drowned. Then they took another bunch of rats, put them in the same drum of water, but this time they took them out after 10 minutes, dried them off, and returned them to safety. After several hours, they placed those same rats back in the drum, but this time, after several days, those rats were still alive and treading water. What do you think happened to those rats?
"Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: but now, in Christ Jesus, ye who sometime were far off and made nigh by the blood of Christ." (Ephesians 2:11-13)

"We Work Through God"

"Through Thee will we push down our enemies: through Thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us." (Psalms 44:5) Simply put, we must abide in Christ in order to victoriously walk in the will of God; if we do not abide in Him, then all bets are off. As I was thinking about this verse, I thought about what it actually means to abide in Christ, and how God does not make it something that is difficult on us to do, as are some things in this life; in other words, God's ways are always simple, although they might be hard, they are abundantly simple; while this life is full of complex relationships and formulas that are based upon the whims of man, constantly changing, and constantly challenging us to rethink where we are and where we are going. With God, all that He requires is for us to surrender our lives over to Him, the He does the rest in us; while this world requires us to be constantly adapting, solving life's problems, one day at a time. Do you see the difference between the two? If so, then why do we seem to always gravitate towards the worlds way, instead of letting God work His way in us? I truly believe that it goes back to pride and lust; two things that we let get a foothold in our life, both of which can take on a life of their own. There are two very strong elements being expressed here in this verse; one that deals with pushing down the enemy, the other deals with treading under those that rise against; pride needs to be pushed down, while lust need to be buried, both of which are things we in our own strength have no real power over. It is almost comical to look back and see how often we think that we can do something on our own, and then, after having suffered some pretty hard thrashing in the world, we discover that we can't do anything without God. It's kind of like that scene in the "Great and Powerful Oz" where they are all traveling through the air in those bubbles; if we could imagine that we were in a bubble, that bubble would represent Christ; without being in Him, we would fall not float; we would not be going where He leads us, just as the wind seemed to take the bubble's effortlessly around the mountains, and to their destination; and without being in Him, we would not get through to heaven... "Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." (Matthew 21:42-44)

"God Works in Weakness" -2

"Thou art my King, O God: command deliverance for Jacob." (Psalms 44:4) Oh yes, I almost forgot, this is meant to be "A Prayer for Protection"; and if we really put some time into thinking about how simple God has made this to be, then we might just have more time to sit and praise Him; we would surely have more desire to find the time, that much I am sure of. When James says, "Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness", I seriously doubt that James is saying that we should be walking around like a bunch of crybabies, and acting like someone has stolen our little red wagon; it is more about the condition of our heart towards the things of this world, and kind of like the reflection that this world has upon our hearts, which is opposite from the reflection that God has upon our hearts; as if reflection is a good definition, it's just the easiest way I could find to express how the two are so opposite of each other. When we see ourselves in and of this world, we can become so puffed up in ourselves; mainly because we are to be above all of this, and when we become of it, we begin to feel that we have some sort of an edge above humility, as though we have some kind of strength within ourselves; which only comes from the fearlessness that we have of this world. However, nothing could be further from the truth!!! We might think that we are fearless of this world, based upon that which we had known; but the longer we make ourselves part of this world, the less fear we have of the Lord; until one fine day, all of the sudden we realize that we are scared and alone, and the God that once was mighty to save, we have replaced that image with something far less certain and sure; like our own reflection... "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved: in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace; wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself: that in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him." (Ephesians 1:3-10)

"God Works in Weakness"

"Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob." (Psalms 44:4) I try, I fail, I surrender, I get delivered, and then I try again; sound like anyone that you know? I really like that the name "Jacob" is used instead of Israel, because Jacob means heel holder or supplanter, the layer of snares; although the name is used a lot in the poetic sense, it best describes what kind of transformation that we must make, because it was God that changed Jacob to Israel, Israel meaning governed by God. That was also in a time before Israel had a king, which was before they wanted to be like all the other nations, and have someone that they could parade out to represent them. If you think about it, they were trading the strength of God for the strength of a man, which is primarily the same condition we find ourselves in, over and over again. Any time that we see any of these pastors of these mega churches go down in flames, they have failed because they put confidence in their own strength, instead of knowing how weak they really are. When we know that we are weak, then God commands deliverance for us; yet, if we think that we are strong, then watch out, because even though we may still get delivered, our deliverance will come by great price of our pride... "Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up." (James 4:5-10)    

"Just Look and See"

"For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but Thy right hand, and Thine arm, and the Light of Thy countenance; because Thou hadst a favour unto them." (Psalms 44:3) Oh, why oh why do we not just give it all to God? How many lessons do we need on trusting God for our protection? We say that we trust Him, yet then turn right around and try and work things out on our own. Maybe we think that giving to God means that He gives it back in the form of a physical solution? As if God wants us to practice doing things on our own; do you think doctors work that way? Oh, here you go, here's the procedure directions and the knives you need, now take these home and cut out that cancer; then check back with me when you come to. I don't think so. What God does require of us is to walk in His promises and to not doubt His ability to get things done; after all, if we are His children, then we need to start acting like He is our Father. Personally, I think that our biggest problem is that we put way too much focus upon how we feel about ourselves, and not focusing enough about how God feels towards us; then again, maybe we need to start looking at ourselves in a whole different Light, say in the Light of Jesus Christ. If I am in Christ, and if Christ is in me, then how does that make me look? We absolutely cannot save ourselves, that much we must totally realize; once we get that through our thick skulls, then we can put those carving tools down, and give everything over to the Master; Who by the way, is more than willing to do whatever is needed to make us right; which usually only requires a change of heart and eyes to be opened... "For this thing I besought the Lord three thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Corinthians 12:8-10)

"Things of Old" -2

"How Thou didst drive out the heathen with Thy hand, and plantedst them; how Thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out." (Psalms 44:2) I believe the key word within this verse is the word "Didst", as in the past, because God has done this, therefore it is something that we are no longer waiting to happen, it has already taken place. I think sometimes we forget, or get convinced otherwise, or we have just lost faith; whatever it is that has happened, it is not anything to do with God, because He has already done what He needed to do. Our faith is based primarily upon the word of God: God said it, I believe it, and that settles it; however, it is also based upon the Spirit of God within us, as He confirms what has been done within us; this is based mostly on the peace that we have been given, but the greatest result is our peace with God. I have been focused for so many years with trying to crucify the old man, when all the while, he has already been taken care of at the cross of Christ! We tend to imagine within ourselves that this is something that is up to us to do, as if I need to somehow nail myself up upon that cross; when it was Christ who died in my place, over 2,000 years ago; if I am in Christ now, then I was in Him then, when He died upon the cross; how simple is that? The reasoning behind what was done at the cross goes beyond reasoning, but at the same time, it is so simplistic. Why would God go through all the pain and suffering of dying for our sins, yet leave the thing that produces sin, namely our old fallen nature, still undone and very much alive, just to keep on producing sin? Ya, but I can't seem to shake this old dude; he just won't stay down! Therein is most of our problem, it is something we keep thinking that we need to do; as if God has not already taken care of it, so I need to go find that dead corpse and beat it to death with a stick. What's been done is done, so we need to get over ourselves, and start walking in the victory that has been given to us..."Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him: knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:6-11)

"Things of Old"

"How Thou didst drive out the heathen with Thy hand, and plantest the; how Thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out." (Psalms 44:2) It is pretty interesting how God takes care of things for us, and then we go and mess things up again. Right about now you are wondering where this is going, right? Well, I am too; and it might have something to do with the fact that I started reading "The Normal Christian Life" again, for about the third time, but it's been about 15 years since I last read it. The is a difference between the average Christian life and the normal Christian life, whereas the average Christian life lacks power and victory, but the normal Christian life has no power, because the power is of God, and as for the victory, Jesus Christ has already won! The book is based mostly on the Book of Romans, but dives into several other avenues as the author pushes against the philosophies of man, many of which have crept into our churches, having people put their focus on themselves and their own afflictions, abilities and accomplishments, instead of keeping their focus on the cross of Christ. Keeping with the theme, "A Prayer for Protection", we need to remember why God did drive out the heathen from the land where He planted His people, because it was for their protection that He did, that they might not be infected with the pagan religions and all their other wild and crazy lifestyles. In order to live a life separated unto Him, His people needed to be separated from them which lived otherwise. It's kind of like Lot, who first went towards Sodom, then dwelt next to Sodom, then dwelt in Sodom, and then pretty soon, Sodom was dwelling in him. If you think about it, our conversion in Christ has all the same similarities of the way God has dealt with the heathens and planted the children of Israel in the promised land; He has crucified the old man in Christ, and He has risen up a new man in Christ's resurrection; and then we have got to go and make friends with some of them that are to be driven out... "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. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." (Romans 12:1-3)