Articles for May 2017

Psalm 59:16, “But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.” 

I will sing – we sing when we are happy and content. This goes along with yesterday’s blog.  God desires for each of us to be happy and cheerful.  I think this is a person that I would like to be around.  I think that this is a person that I would like to be!

Why is it, that David could be filled with joy and singing in the morning?   It’s simple – because He was praising God for His power and mercy.  He was recognizing that God would be there to defend him and protect him in the time of trouble.  His eyes were on God and not the circumstances that he was faced with.

The Scriptures are full of God’s promises to be with us and help us in times of need and trouble. Think about your life.  Are you the person who sees the glass as half full or as half empty.  Are you someone that is counting your blessings or are you complaining about your problems.

It is true that there is something to be thankful for – even in the worst case scenario.  II Thessalonians 5:18 would not be in the Bible if this were not true! (“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”)  Every thing covers a great deal of territory – actually it covers it all – nothing is being left out.

It may seem like it is impossible to have a cheerful and merry heart in the midst of all the problems of this world.  But it is.  God tells us that this is the result of trusting Him and keeping our eyes on Him and His power.  He truly is our defense and refuge in the day of trouble and this is something to ‘sing’ about!

Psalm 5:11, “But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name by joyful in thee.” 

Rejoice, shout for joy, be joyful – does that describe you? Come to think of it does it describe the Christians that you know and fellowship with?

I think perhaps this is one of the greatest short falls in the lives of Christians today. We don’t exhibit the joy of the Lord.  Look at yourself (I’m talking to me also).  How do you react to the happenings of life?  Are you downhearted and fearful?  Do you complain because life is hard?  Do you get caught up in letting life overwhelm you?  We need to stop and think about how this affects our testimony before the world.

This verse is telling us that if we trust the Lord and truly believe that He will defend us against outside forces; if we love His name, then we will have a joyful heart and countenance.  God is our Heavenly Father.  We are His children and He promises His love and presence in our lives.

Victory is assured and Heaven is our destiny. We have SO much to be thankful and joyful about.

Think about it. Can others see the joy of the Lord in your life?  I’m not talking about being laughy and giddy all the time.  I’m talking about having a serene and quiet spirit, free from fear.  I’m talking about having a spirit of thanksgiving and praise versus a spirit of complaining and grumbling.  I’m talking about a life that says to those around you that you trust God and believe He is in control of all that happens.  This is the life that will make others want what you have.

A joyful life is what God desires and offers to all of us. This is the life that we will have if we keep our eyes and hearts on Him!

I Samuel 30:6, “And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

Do you ever feel that the circumstances of life are so difficult that facing the day ahead seems impossible? This can happen – even to Christians.  It happened to David.

David had gone to battle and when he returned, His family and his men’s families were gone, taken captive by the Amalekites. Their homes had been burned.  David’s men turned on him and were talking about stoning him .  This was serious hardship.  It was about as low as a person can get.  YET, look at David’s response – he “encouraged himself in the LORD.”

Life can be hard and full of difficulties. Sometimes we can feel all alone.  But, no matter how low or hard life gets we need to follow David’s example and look to the Lord.

I’m not sure how David encouraged himself in the Lord, but I know how WE can do it today. We do it by being in His Word.  We need to read and meditate on Scriptures that talk about God’s help and strength.  Verses such as:  Psalm 9:9, Psalm 138:3, Psalm 18:2, Psalm 118:5,6, Psalm 28:7, Psalm 27:1.  These are only a few examples of verses that talk about God’s promise to be with us in the hard times of life.  God is always available to us, we just need to reach out to Him.

David trusted God, and God took care of the problem. David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away (I Samuel 30:19).

I don’t know how God will answer your need. But, I do know that He has promised to be there for you.  He loves you and will work out everything for your good and His glory.  (Romans 8:28)

You are not in this battle of life alone – trust God and encourage yourself in His love. Read His Word, and talk to Him frequently throughout the day.  Stay close to Him and gather strength from His presence.  Remember, He is always with you!

Psalm 81:10, “I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt:  open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.” 

I believe God is saying here that He has brought us out of the world of sin into a new life of serving Him. He is saying to open our mouth wide so that He can fill our lives with blessings.

William Carey’s (famous missionary to India) motto was, “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.”  This is a really good goal for all of us.  The 1828 dictionary defines the word ‘expect’ as:  to look for; to wait for; to entertain a belief that an event will happen.  When we are confident that God will work, then and only then, will we get out and attempt great things for Him.  Sometimes we fail before we start because we do not expect God to work.  What a powerless life this produces.

You need to think about your expectations of God.   Do you expect Him to work greatly in your life?  Do you expect Him to answer your prayers (even the impossible)? Do you expect souls to be saved when you present the Gospel to them?  When you wake up in the morning, do you expect God to do great and mighty things through your life?  (Jeremiah 33:3)

Is your mouth open wide to His blessings or are you limiting what He can do because of unbelief?  If our blessings from God were determined according to how wide our mouth is open to receive them, I wonder how ‘blessingless‘ some of our lives would be.  (Not sure that is a word, but I am sure you  get the point.)

Start believing with your whole heart (open your mouth wide) that God wants to do great works (in your life, in your church, in your community, and in this world) and then step out in His power and strength to make them happen!

John 15:5, “I am the vine, ye are the branches, He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing.” 

Here it is – the successful Christian life in a nutshell.

A vine is the nourishing part of a plant. It is where the branches get their supply of food and water so that they can produce fruit.  Your life will only be fruitful and productive if you are receiving your strength and direction from the Lord.  You need to be abiding in Him.

A branch that is not attached to the vine will shrivel up and certainly will not be productive. Jesus is telling you that He needs to be the controlling factor in your life.  You need to be nourished and fed daily from the Scriptures.  You need to communicate with Him throughout the day.  There is a two way process going on here.  One is that He supplies us with strength and direction.  Secondly, we receive this strength and guidance and move out for Him (produce fruit).

Just a note – Jesus gives the flip side to this promise. “Without me ye can do nothing.”  Wow,  is that clear and to the point.  Try to live in your own strength and you will accomplish ‘zero’.  (That’s what ‘nothing’ means.)  Don’t waste time and energy working for God in your own strength – it doesn’t work.

I think that all of us would like to come to the end of a day and look back and feel like we had accomplished something for God and eternity. This is what this verse is all about.  God wants to use us and He wants our lives to be productive for Him.  Jesus says abide in me and you will accomplish – MUCH – for God.  What a great promise!

Mark 11:22, “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.” 

I wonder how many times a day Jesus could say this to us? This statement, “Have faith in God,”  is universal.  It is the answer to every situation we face in life.

In this particular verse Jesus is explaining the power of faith. He says extraordinary things can happen if we believe.  Verse 24, talks about when you pray you need to believe that God is going to answer your prayer (no doubting) and He will.

Jesus is telling us to keep our hearts and minds focused on God. He is always near.  He is always in control.  He knows about every need and problem that we face in this life.  Many times, because our problems do not disappear, we begin to believe that God is not here or that He does not care.

Believe in your heart that He is working. Look through the problems and see Him.  Believe in His power and sovereignty.  Know in your heart that no matter what is going around you that God is the One in control and He is allowing what is happening for a purpose.  (Part of faith is not demanding that God tell you the reason for the problems.   Often ‘why‘ is a question we ask over and over again of God.  Wanting to understand seems to be in the basic nature of man – but remember, understanding is not part of FAITH!)

Trust God, have faith in God, believe God – are all interchangeable truths that are found throughout the Scriptures.  Jesus gave us the answer to the anxieties of life in these four simple words…”Have faith in God.”

Philippians 3:13,14, “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.” 

This one thing I do – I forget what is past and I press toward the future.

Don’t let your past define your future. You may have fallen short.  You may not have achieved what you hoped to accomplish.  But, God is a God of second chances.  You can reach forward – you can change in any stage of your life.

It starts with a decision on your part. Today, choose to reach forth to the things that are before you.  Don’t let Satan convince you that you are not worthy or that God cannot use you.  God has a calling for YOU – reach out and take His hand and start on the journey of serving Him.  It is never too late.

I often think of Peter – he made a grave mistake. He denied the Lord three times, yet he repented of that sin and moved on for God.  God used his life in a mighty way.  He wants to use you also.  Forget your short comings.  Forget your failures.  Forget those “things which are behind, and press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

It is never too late – God has a job for YOU to do – so start today!

II Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 

God speaks often in His Word concerning the topic of fear. He knows that it is probably one of the most unpleasant emotions that we deal with in this life.  It can affect our deepest self and cause extensive anguish in our lives.  God knows how fear can affect us and He desires to extinguish its power completely.

According to the 1828 dictionary, ‘Fear’ – mean a painful emotion caused by an expectation of evil or the apprehension of impending danger.  Anxiety.

This verse, II Timothy 1:7, is so clear and to the point that it leaves no question in our minds as to the origin of fear. It is for sure that it is not coming from God.

• Satan and the world offer us: fear and anxiety.
• God offers us: power, love and a sound mind.

So, how does fear become a controlling factor in our lives? It comes when we take our eyes off of the Lord and begin to look at the problems of life all around us.  It is not trusting that He is in control and resting in His love.   Power, love, and a sound mind are what God desires for all of us to have.  These only come when we are in close communion with Him – through Bible Study and prayer.  (Remember, if you want to be spiritually strong , you must be fed daily from God’s Word.)  We need to turn our eyes upon Jesus and keep them there!

(It would be a worthy study to look up verses dealing with the subject of fear and write them out. The Bible is full of them.  Verses such as:  Isaiah 41:10, Psalm 118:6, Proverbs 3:5, Isaiah 41:13, Lamentations 3:57, Psalm 46:2, Hebrews 13:6, – to name a few.)

Psalm 143:8, “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust:  cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.” 

The 1828 dictionary defines the word – ‘Cause’ as that which produces an effect, move or impel to act, to urge.

Basically this verse is saying, “Please, Lord, urge me and move me to hear thy loving kindness in the morning. Help me to start out my day with You.”    We all know that we hear from God by reading His Word and meditating on it.  So, our day should always start out with being in the Word and then spending time in prayer.  This needs to be a commitment and determination on our part.  Life so often gets in the way.  Schedules may prohibit a long devotional or a long period of prayer – that’s okay.  It can be brief, and it can be short –  BUT, it cannot be neglected!

We need to meet with God every morning and reconfirm our trust in Him. Our strength to meet the demands of the day has to come from God.

The second half of this verse says, “cause me to know the way wherein I should walk;” This is like a soldier reporting for duty, waiting to hear his marching orders.  We need to ask God each and every day to direct our path and give us direction for that day.  We then need to seek His help so that we will do what He tells us.

Psalm 9:9, “The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.“ 

The 1828 Webster’s Dictionary defines:

Refuge:  a shelter or protection from danger or distress.  A stronghold which protects by its strength, a sanctuary.

Oppressed:  burdened with unreasonable impositions, overburdened, depressed, overpowered.

Life can overpower us with problems and cares. We often are oppressed and overwhelmed.  In the midst of all of this, God says that He will be our refuge. He will be our protection and covering.  This is another one of those verses that we need to claim and cling to as we walk through this rocky and uncertain life.  God offers us so much, but often we forget to take advantage of His promises.  We try to carry our own burdens and wallow through our problems, fretting and complaining as we go.

A reminder here. God is not saying He will remove our problems, only that He will help us through them!  God is offering us a place of rest and protection.  We need to run (don’t walk) into His loving arms and trust that He will be there for us in the times of trouble.