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Proverbs 21:31, “The horse is prepared against the day of battle; but safety is of the Lord.”

In Bible days, there were no tanks or fighter jets. Armies depended on their horses to carry them into battle.  I’m sure these horses were well fed and protected against the attacks from the enemy.  These horses had a definite purpose and place in the battle, BUT, they were not the determining factor for victory.

I love this verse because it implies to me that we should be as prepared as we can to face the battles of life. But, we should always be aware that it is God Who is in control and He is the one that gives us victory and safely.  We often become dependent on the crutches of life (the horses) to help us in the situations and problems we face.  We gallop into the battle depending on our own strength and abilities and completely leave God out of the equation.  We depend on our own ingenuity or logic to solve a problem or need.  Our confidence is in the strength of our horses and we feel that they will carry us into victory.

God says, STOP! It is good to be prepared and as strong as we can be to face the challenges of life – BUT – it is God who will guide us and keep us safe through all the battles.  As we read and meditate on the Scriptures, as we pray, as we attend our local churches, we are learning to place our trust in God and not in all the other crutches of life.  God desires to help us and wants us to realize that victory comes from Him!

Our strength and safely comes from God and we need to stay focused on this fact!

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!

I John 1:4, “And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” 

God wants us to have joy in our lives. Wow – what a great thing!  God loves us and desires for us to be happy even while we are living in an unsettled and sinful world.  This is an amazingly comforting truth.

The dictionary defines ‘JOY’ as an intense or elated happiness, a source of great pleasure. Now we often misinterpret this truth and put a completely different spin on it.   We can read into this verse that God does not want us to have any hardships or problems in our lives.  Everything  in life will be smooth and easy.  WRONG!  Freedom from conflict isn’t what God is promising.  What He does promise is that if we keep our eyes on Him and believe that He is in control of all that happens in our lives, we can be happy and have joy in spite of all the problems.

It seems that the disappointments and hardships of life can so often cause us to be down in the dumps emotionally. The ‘whys’ of life can seem to be overwhelming at times.  Why does everything seem to be going wrong, why am I sick, why can’t I pay my bills, why ____________ (you fill in the blank).  We all have our own questions that we are tempted to ask God when things are not going well.

Now, I have a challenge for you – instead of the whys, start with the thanksgivings. Not for the problems but for the fact that God is with you and He is in control.  He knows all about what you are facing.  He has promised in Romans 8:28 to work everything out for our good.  He has a plan and a purpose.  Remember I Thessalonians 5:8 , “In everything give thanks”.

It is God’s desire for us to be thankful. Look through the problems and see God.  Believe He is working even when you cannot see it. This is TRUST in action.  This is the faith that will bring joy to your life – even in the most trying of circumstances!

Philippians 4:6, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”

 I could easily end this blog at this point. These are great verses with a great message and great promises:

• Don’t be anxious about anything.
• Pray about everything.
• Ask concerning your needs.
• Be thankful.
• Don’t hesitate to make requests of God.

Then God promises:

• Peace that only comes from God will be yours.
• God will keep your hearts and minds focused on Him.

This seems to be an area of great neglect on the part of a lot of Christians – we don’t talk to God about our needs and frustrations. Yet, over and over again in the Scriptures, He tells us to do so.  He wants to hear from us and He wants to answer our prayers.  We are not burdening God with our needs – we are obeying Him when we present them to Him.

God tells us quite clearly in these verses that He wants us to present everything to Him in prayer. These prayers will result in a peace given to us by God, and He will keep our hearts and minds focused on Him.   If you ever have any doubts about God loving you – just read these verses, along with many others in the Scriptures, and your doubts will dissolve into thin air.

We have a wonderful God, let Him know you love and trust Him by talking to Him about all your needs and concerns!

Matthew 9:29 “Then touched He their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.” 

In Matthew 9:27, two blind men followed Jesus begging Him to heal them. Jesus simply asks them a question.  “Believe ye that I am able to do this?”  They answered,  “Yea Lord.” Jesus then touches their eyes and says,  “According to your faith be it unto you,” and their eyes were opened.

In this particular passage (Matthew 9:27-29), Jesus was asking these blind men if they believed He had the power to heal them. Their answer was a definite, “Yes, Lord”.  The verse goes on to say that Jesus replied, “according to your faith be it unto you.”  I believe that Jesus looked into their hearts and saw true faith and confidence in Him, so He honored their faith and healed them.

Jesus is asking you this same question today. “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”  The “this” in the question can refer to any need that you have in your life.  He is asking you to line up your need side by side with His power and ability to meet that need.  He is asking you to decide in your heart if He is capable of taking care of the problem.  The next statement says that the condition of Jesus meeting our needs is connected to our belief that He can and will meet them.

Your faith really does determine how God can work in your life. What you accomplish for God is in direct proportion to your belief that God will give you the strength and ability to do whatever He asks you to do, and that He will take care of any and all problems that should arise.

Basically, what we accomplish in this life is completely centered around our FAITH and TRUST in God. Let’s not hinder His work because of our lack of belief!

Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” 

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines ‘first’ as: Before all others in order of time, or progression. Preceding all others in rank.

Now, I know, that you know, what first place means. It’s the top, above everything else.  This verse is telling us that this is where God is supposed to be in our lives.  TOP priority in all our considerations.  But, I fear, if we are honest, that this is not where He is located in the scheme of our activities.  It would probably surprise us as to how far down on the list He is in our daily lives.  Often, we work Him in – if possible.  Other times, He is below the line of what we have time for.  SHAME ON US!

In the earlier verses of this chapter God is talking about meeting the essential needs of our lives – food, drink, and clothing. Verse 32b says, “for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.”

The problem comes when these needs became the ‘top priority’ in our lives and not God. We can get caught up in the survival mode and feel everything is depending on us.  God is telling us plain and simple that we are to put Him first and then He will take care of everything else.  (Now, God knows that you have to work and He encourages this throughout the Scriptures.  In fact, He has nothing good to say about the sluggard or lazy person.)

It really is a condition of the heart. Are you thinking about and seeking God in all the demands of the day?  Do you acknowledge His presence and talk to Him as you walk through the activities of life?  Do you spend time in His Word every day? Do you choose God’s ways over your own desires?  All these areas are ways that we put God ‘first’ in our lives.

Life is demanding. These is a constant battle going on for your time.  You will have to fight to keep God in first place.  It is possible – just keep your focus where it should be – ON GOD!

Matthew 6:33a, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; “ 

I love this verse and quote it often in my life. I’ve already used it as the theme of several blogs – but here I go again.  The message is so great because it deals with priorities.  For some reason our society has gotten so mixed up about what is really important.  God’s Word is so clear and to the point – put God first – period!

I asked myself this simple question – “How is seeking God first in my life translated into the reality of living?” What is it that we need to do to actually put God first in our lives?  Here are some of the thoughts that came to me:

• Think about and consider the day ahead with God in mind. (Not as an afterthought but as a first thought.) Be willing to use your time doing things that matter to God more than things that matter to you.
• Read God’s Word and spend time in prayer every morning. I know some mornings are very hectic – this does not need to be your main Bible reading for the day, but it does need to be included in the start of each day.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to someone to minister to during the day. Either with the message of salvation or of encouragement.
• Remember to do everything that you do with the thought of ‘doing it heartily as to the Lord.’ (This can make even the worst task, a blessing!)
• Spend disciplined time reading and meditating on God’s Word every day. (This means to spend some ‘serious’ time in the Scriptures – fellowshipping and communicating with God.)

I want to encourage you to make your own list of how you can show, by your life, that you are ‘seeking to put God first.’   It is worth taking the time to set your priorities (with God’s help) -write them down and refer to them often.  Remember……

“Only one life twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last!”

Proverbs 25:21,22, “If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:” “For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.”

The concept of feeding our enemies when they are hungry and giving them drink when they are thirsty is so contrary to our way of thinking, yet, God says to help them if they have a need.

Jesus, Himself, gives us similar instructions in Matthew 5:44, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”

Remember, this is how God wants us to behave. This is how HE wants us to live. This is what HE expects of us.

When we can put aside our own feelings, and follow God’s ways above our own, we are accomplishing two things: One – we are showing obedience and submission to God.  Two – we are being a testimony to the world that God has made a difference in our lives.  Certainly the natural man would not consider helping an enemy, but God’s man would.

The best part is that God says if you do this – follow His instructions, even when you would rather not (who wants to help an enemy?) that He (God) will reward you.

Obedience is always the best way!

Proverbs 29:18a “Where there is no vision, the people perish;”

When we look at people around us – what do we see? Are we looking with our eyes or with our heart?  Our eyes see what they are wearing, how they behave, how they comb their hair, etc.  But if we are looking with our heart, we will see – if they are hurting, if they have a need, if they know God, if they are saved.

I think God wants us to look at the world through caring, compassionate eyes. Do you look at people and care about their eternal destiny?  Certainly, if we don’t care, we won’t share the Gospel with them.  We need to ask God to help us see as He sees, to help us care as He cares.  We need to become the fishers of men that God talks about in Matt. 4:19.

Think about it – if Christians are not telling others the good news that Jesus saves, then the world is not hearing the message that God intended for them to hear. Thousands are dying every day and going to hell.

We need to care that people are perishing all around us. We need to pray that God will give us a vision.  First, that we will reach out to those immediately around us. Secondly, we need to see the possibilities of what God can do through us.  Let’s get up, let’s get out, and let’s care enough to be the witnesses that God wants us to be.  Let’s have a vision of what happens to people who die without the Lord and let’s have a vision of what God will do through us if we present the gospel to them.

Jude verse 24, “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,” 

He is able — He is able — He is able — to keep us from falling. What a great promise.  Life is full of stumbling blocks.   We face obstacles every day that could cause us to trip and hinder our walk with God.  BUT – He is able to keep us from falling.  God’s love is so amazing.  He wants to help us through the rocky terrain of life and to keep our lives in balance and our feet secure.

Through trusting Him and following His Word we can have balanced, secure lives that are not tossed about with the winds of circumstances. Believe God is able to keep you from slipping.

The second half of this verse goes on to say that we will be presented faultless before God. This is because of what Jesus did on the Cross.  When we accepted Him as our Saviour, our sins were completely forgiven.  This truth and knowledge ought to give us exceeding joy when we think about it.

Jesus is able – to help us in all areas of our lives and to keep us until the day He presents us faultless before the throne of grace!