Tag: God

God, our Great Provider; “Don’t ever be fearful nor ever be worried about how you’ll defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will be teaching you at that hour what you should say.” Luke 12:11-12

Luke 12:11-12 New American Standard Bible 1995

11 When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Luke 12:11 (KJV) states, “And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say.”

Today I went to the movie theatre with my wife to watch the Bonhoeffer film.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dietrich-Bonhoeffer

I was inspired and stirred up by a quote “Silence in the face of evil is evil itself.“

Faced with such a horrific circumstance as he was, he could have chosen to have remained quiet, safe, not stirred up a lethal level of trouble with the authorities.

But, with the heavy burden of conscience which comes with the indelible reality of living into and through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus at the cross, he chose to stand above those who chose silence and safety over to be a martyr.

I searched for a scriptural basis for the enormous measure of holy courage he displayed before everybody, tried to contemplate; “would I have been so vocal?”

This verse from chapter 12 comes from the Gospel narrative of Luke, which was written by Luke, a Physician and faithful mission companion of Apostle Paul.

This particular passage is part of a larger discourse in which Jesus is instructing his disciples about the hard challenges they’ll face as they spread his message.

In this verse, Jesus is preparing his disciples for the inevitable persecution and opposition they will encounter as they go out far and wide to share the gospel.

The verse begins with the phrase “And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers…”

This indicates the various levels of authority and opposition the disciples will encounter in their mission – the hardcore brutal reality that Bonhoeffer faced.

Luke’s message is as we willingly walk into the Great Commission, we also do acknowledge the highest risks, the highest accountability, responsibility before God, which we will risk, as we could be brought before religious leaders in the synagogues, civil authorities such as magistrates, and even powerful rulers.

This foreshadows the highest risks of lethality, trials and tribulations the early Christians faced as they journeyed through Rome, spread the teachings of Jesus.

The next part of the verse states, “take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say.”

This is a powerful message that encourages the disciples to innately set aside their fears, to trust in the Holy Spirit to guide them in their words and actions.

They are not to worry or be anxious or be fearful about how to respond when they are arrested, brought before these authorities. Instead, they are to rely on the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit to speak God’s truth through them.

This verse also speaks to the broader theme of trust and faith in God’s provision and guidance. The disciples are being instructed to surrender their own worries and fears, in times of highest risks and to trust in the leading of the Holy Spirit.

This theme of trust and reliance on God’s wisdom and strength is a central message throughout the New Testament, and speaks to the 100% unyielding importance of faith in all degrees of circumstances in the life of a believer.

The context of this verse is also important to consider.

At the time of Jesus, the very early Christians faced intense persecution and opposition from both the religious and secular authorities.

They were often grabbed off the streets and from their homes, brought before the synagogues, Roman officials to give an account for their beliefs and actions.

In the face of this hair triggered hostility, Jesus’s words would prayerfully have been a highly valuable, highly valued source of great comfort, empowerment, and encouragement for his followers as they became called to defend the faith.

The powerful symbolism in this verse can be seen in the imagery of being brought before synagogues and powers.

This represents the conflict and opposition Christians may face when they are faithful to their beliefs. The synagogues represent the religious establishment, while the powers and magistrates symbolize the ruling secular authorities.

The message here is that followers of Jesus should expect to encounter a whole lot of hardened resistance, challenges as they live out their faith in the world.

In conclusion, Luke 12:11 is a powerful and timely reminder for Christians to trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the face of opposition, persecution.

The verse speaks to the themes of trust, reliance on God’s wisdom, and the reality of encountering life threatening challenges for the sake of the gospel.

It provides encouragement for believers to stand firm in their faith, knowing that God will empower them to speak boldly and act in ways that honor him.

This verse continues to be a source of comfort and strength for believers facing opposition and hostility for their beliefs even today in the face of cancel culture.

About Taking Up Our Scriptures, Speak truth to Power

I am convinced that there is a common misunderstanding in many churches.

Many Christians think there is a big difference between proclaiming God’s Word from a pulpit and sharing his truth in a conversation.

Similarly, lots of “Christians” believe the apex of evangelism happens on a Sunday morning in a sanctuary and not in a coffee shop or in a car ride to work.

As Christians, we often think that to share the gift of salvation with someone, we first have to be qualified academically or be trained in some special way. As a result, we can get tangled up in our inabilities, bogged down by our insecurities, and overwhelmed with fears of failing ourselves, others, or—even worse—God.

But you and I aren’t called because we are qualified; we are qualified because we have been called by God into a lifetime of love everyone by sacrifice and service.

My life and your life, regardless of secular vocation or secular or too religious education or ability to speak in public, is a “as iron sharpens iron” testimony in itself. It’s the story of God’s relentless redemption and restoration plan in you.

God knew you even before he established the foundations of the earth.

He created you, wired you, and walked into your life, called you by name.

Luke 24:13-35 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Road to Emmaus

13 And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was [a]about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. 16 But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. 17 And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You [b]the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?” 19 And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. 22 But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.” 25 And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary for the [c]Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 Then beginning [d]with Moses and [e]with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

28 And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther. 29 But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day [f]is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them.  30 When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and  He blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from [g]their sight. 32 They said to one another, “[h]Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was [i]explaining the Scriptures to us?” 33 And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, 34  saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 They began to relate [j]their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.

God has adopted you as his child into his eternal family, and he has entrusted you with his kingdom work, which simply means courageously sharing with someone the good news of forgiveness from sin, of new life in Christ forever.

So share the good news today!

Do not worry if you have the right words – the Holy Spirit will provide them!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 40 New American Standard Bible 1995

God Sustains His Servant.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

40 I waited [a]patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the [b]miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear
And will trust in the Lord.

4 How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust,
And has not [c]turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
5 Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count.

6 [d]Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired;
My ears You have [e]opened;
Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is [f]written of me.
8 I delight to do Your will, O my God;
Your Law is within my heart.”

9 I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation;
Behold, I will not restrain my lips,
O Lord, You know.
10 I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.

11 You, O Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
[g]Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.
12 For evils beyond number have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;
They are more numerous than the hairs of my head,
And my heart has [h]failed me.

13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
Make haste, O Lord, to help me.
14 Let those be ashamed and humiliated together
Who seek my [i]life to destroy it;
Let those be turned back and dishonored
Who delight [j]in my hurt.
15 Let those be [k]appalled because of their shame
Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
16 Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“The Lord be magnified!”
17 Since I am afflicted and needy,
[l]Let the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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An Expression of my Inexpressible “All Thanks be to God for Answered Prayers; He is leading my heart to the Rock which is always higher than I!” Psalm 61

Psalm 61 English Standard Version

Lead Me to the Rock

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. Of David.

61 Hear my cry, O God,
    listen to my prayer;
2 from the end of the earth I call to you
    when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock
    that is higher than I,
3 for you have been my refuge,
    a strong tower against the enemy.

4 Let me dwell in your tent forever!
    Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah
5 For you, O God, have heard my vows;
    you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

6 Prolong the life of the king;
    may his years endure to all generations!
7 May he be enthroned forever before God;
    appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

8 So will I ever sing praises to your name,
    as I perform my vows day after day.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Psalm 61 expresses the desperate prayer of one who senses a great need for God.

David prays “from the ends of the earth” (61:2).

Although this could mean that he was far away from home, the sense of this phrase is more than literal. It speaks of neediness, when we are far away from what is comfortable, familiar, and safe. It may also point to times when we feel more than far away from God, it seems as if he is not near to hear our prayers.

In such times, our hearts can become overwhelmed. The Hebrew term ‘ataf, translated here as “overwhelmed,” can also mean “faint” or “weak.” There are times when our circumstances batter us, when our inner reserves are drying up.

We can feel as if life is just too much for us, and that we’re not going to survive.

In such times, like David, we cry out to God for mercy.

Even though God might feel far away, or we are stuck at the very bottom of the Grand Canyon and looking up at the sheer cliffs we have no skill set nor any equipment nor any inclination, to climb out, even though we are emotionally spent, we nevertheless call out to God to lead us to a place of safety and security.

The “towering rock of safety” is a place where the floods cannot engulf us or our enemies can get to us and crush our spirits. The rock that is literally “higher than” we are, signifies unassailable heights of God’s protection and presence.

Perhaps you’re in a place like David today, feeling beyond far away from God, overwhelmed by the challenges before you, overwhelmed by the challenges that keep coming. If so, cry out to the God who will lead you to his rock of safety. If you’re not in such a place today—thanks be to God!—I’m sure you know people who are. Their hearts might even be too faint to pray, but you can do it for them.

We know the words, we preach, teach, model “TRUST GOD, do not be afraid. “

Yet the circumstances remain, more keeps coming, too many things feel out of control … there never seems to be enough time to “schedule our daily prayers!”

Your routines are not running smoothly.

You tend to feel more secure when your life is predictable.

Let GOD lead you to the rock that is higher than you and your circumstances.

Take refuge in the shelter of GOD’S wings, where you are absolutely secure.

When you are shaken out of your comfortable routines, grip The LORD’s hand tightly and look for growth opportunities.

Instead of bemoaning the loss of your comfort, courageously accept the challenge of something new.

The LORD leads you on from glory to glory, making you fit for HIS kingdom.

Say yes to the ways GOD works in your life. Trust GOD, and don’t be afraid.”

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” ISAIAH 12 : 2

From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. PSALM 61 : 2 – 4

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 CORINTHIANS 3 : 18 (NKJV)

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: 

When have you felt like David, far from God and completely overwhelmed?

How did you pray?

Did you pray?

How did you experience God’s deliverance?

What, for you, is the “towering rock of safety”?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

PRAYER: O Lord, there are times when you feel so very far away, when it seems as if you aren’t even there to hear my prayers. And there are times when I am so haggard in soul that I can barely pray. Thank you my God and my King for the inspiring example of David, whose desperation reminds me that I am not alone.

Lord help when things feel unpredictable and uncomfortable, help me to look up to You, stand tall in the shadow of your Son’s cross, for growth opportunities and stepping forward, accept the challenge of something new. You are leading me, molding me to look more and more like Jesus. I trust you. In Jesus’ name.

Thank you also for his quiet confidence in you. Help me to know that you will lead me to the towering rock of safety when I am feeling lost and exhausted.

Psalm 121 English Standard Version

My Help Comes from the Lord

A Song of Ascents.

121 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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There is always time for everything, a time and season for endless vanities, chasing the wind with a net, a season for every activity under the heavens. Is there any time being left for God? Ecclesiastes 3:1-14

Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 Revised Standard Version

Everything Has Its Time

3 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

The God-Given Task

9 What gain has the worker from his toil?

10 I have seen the business that God has given to the sons of men to be busy with. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time; also he has put eternity into man’s mind, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; 13 also that it is God’s gift to man that every one should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil. 14 I know that whatever God does endures for ever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has made it so, in order that men should fear before him.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

God, the Eternity Setter

I can still remember the sound of the little tiny bird that popped out of the old cuckoo clock on the back wall at the now gone clock store. Every hour, on the hour, a red faded bird would announce the time. I also recall that when the bird was quiet, I could yet hear the second hand ticking away the seconds of the day.

It’s often said that you can’t get time back, you cannot reset time to the better life you had however many years ago you had them, you can’t return to the days when you first saw your spouse, so it’s best to make use of the time you have.

And you certainly cannot go back to the first days of creation when God spoke and there was light, there was dark, there were the first stars, first life on earth.

You cannot return to the days of David and Goliath and witness that victory.

You cannot interview any of the ancient heroes of the faith, Moses, Abraham, Joshua, Gideon or Samuel or Elijah or Elisha, the psalmists or all the prophets for your school essays, master’s thesis, college dissertations, next sermons.

There will be no eye witness accounts of Mary’s encounter with Angel or the virgin birth, the shepherds being shocked in the middle of the night by angels.

As much as we would certainly welcome the opportunity, we will never hear our names really being spoken out loud by an itinerant Master Rabbi named Jesus.

There is no chance we will witness the miraculous healings, stilling of the great storm from the Gospel of Mark chapter 4:35-41, nor encounter the one named legion before and after his encounter with Jesus. We will not observe their faces.

There is no way we will see Lazarus walk out of his tomb or hear those words which were spoken by Jesus which called Lazarus back to the land of living.

Who would not want to be in that Upper Room when Jesus celebrated that last Passover, to see him wash all those feet, break his body the bread, pour out his blood from the central cup? Walk with him to the Garden of Gethsemane to be witnesses to his tears of blood shed as he prayed to his Father for his release?

His betrayal? Everyone running away naked into the night to avoid arrest? If we were on the scene with all those disciples, would our devotion to Jesus’ own life be enough for us to stay and get between him, the mob of Temple authorities?

Would we have done anything to intervene, intercede, to start a great riot to somehow stop the life threatening injustices being perpetrated upon Jesus?

What about stopping the meeting with Pilate – would we step forward to be Jesus’ advocate, speak for him who did not speak one word to defend himself?

Would we have willingly helped Jesus carry his cross as Simon of Cyrene did?

Would we have done anything at Golgotha to save Jesus’ broken body, would we have rushed forward, whatever weapon was available, overpower the guards?

All of these biblical moments which we can only interpret with our 21st century eyes, act for benefit of all – take Jesus away, heal him, so he keeps ministering?

The bible is so very full of exciting and miraculous moments and words which seek to draw us into those excited moments penned by the original narrators who had their own on the scene at the exact moment of its first occurrences.

No, there is no time for anyone in the present to do anything fantastic to go back into time and bring back to us all today, an actual eye witness account.

I am writing this devotion today. though the author of Ecclesiastes didn’t write those words , they sound like something he might have said. In Ecclesiastes we hear the words of a person who has had the opportunity to look back on his life and recall the joys, concerns, victories, and defeats he has experienced. We hear someone who reflects how important each season was to our 21st century time.

Notably, wise King Solomon, who penned Ecclesiastes, ends his short detailed reflection by commenting that God makes all things beautiful in their time and sets eternity in the human heart (v. 11). That brings me back to those days in an old clock makers store with the cuckoo clocks, and I remember stories that they shared around the jewelers cabinets with clocks ticking and birds singing away.

I can’t get that precious time back, can almost remember the clock makers face but the beauty of those memories lives on, and thoughts of reuniting with those moments in God’s presence in eternity brings me 1000% joy, now and forever!

Take some special time today and through Thanksgiving and Christmas, and New Years to dig deep into the stories of the Bible, mine them for truths they reveal, to get rich on the presence of God, the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.

Precious Memories … How they Linger … How they ever Flood my Soul … In the stillness, of the midnight … Precious Sacred Scenes unfold … Alleluia! Amen!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 113 Complete Jewish Bible

113 Halleluyah!

Servants of Adonai, give praise!
Give praise to the name of Adonai!
2 Blessed be the name of Adonai
from this moment on and forever!
3 From sunrise until sunset
Adonai’s name is to be praised.
4 Adonai is high above all nations,
his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like Adonai our God,
seated in the heights,
6 humbling himself to look
on heaven and on earth.

7 He raises the poor from the dust,
lifts the needy from the rubbish heap,
8 in order to give him a place among princes,
among the princes of his people.

9 He causes the childless woman
to live at home happily as a mother of children.

Halleluyah!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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So Overflowing With Thankfulness, Transformed by the Truth; Planted, Rooted, Watered, Built Up In Christ. Colossians 2:6-7

Colossians 2:6-7 New International Version

Spiritual Fullness in Christ

6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

If we walk around with a full glass of water, and someone ‘accidently’ bumps into us unexpectedly, whatever water is inside it will come flying, spilling out.

The same principle also applies to our Christian character: if we are filled with water flavored with hair triggered bitterness, ingratitude, envy, or jealousy too, then it won’t take much (.001%) of a “bump” for what is within us to overflow.

As Paul wrote to the Colossian Christians, whom he has never seen or interacted with in on the ground ministry, he encouraged them in his writings, instead to be marked by a grateful, thankful heart, a key characteristic of the Christian life.

The word Paul uses to describe this thankfulness, “abounding,” comes from a fairly common Greek word, perisseuo.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/col/2/6-7/t_conc_1109007

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4052/kjv/tr/0-1/

In other places in Scripture and in other English translations, its root is translated as “overflowing.” Paul’s meaning is clear: when people “bumped into” these believers, the overspill, he instructed, was to be thankfulness.

When men and women have not been transformed by Christ, ingratitude—along with its resulting bitterness, complaining, anger, and malice—often marks their lives. In Christ Jesus, however, believers trade ingratitude for abounding, overflowing thanksgiving, bitterness for joy, and anger for peace.

Having heard of God’s grace in all its truth and having turned to Him in Psalm 51 repentance and faith, we have all of our sins forgiven. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. We have a new family in the church of God. We have eternal life ahead of us. We have complete access to the heavenly throne room in prayer.

In other words, we have so very much to be grateful to God for. Abounding, Overflowing Thankfulness becomes the song, the overflow, of the Christian.

This kind of gratitude has significant effects. It turns our gaze to God and away from ourselves and our circumstances. It defends us against the devil’s wiles, whispers, which incites us to despair and to distrust what God has said.

It also protects us from pride, eradicating from our vocabulary phrases like “I deserve more than this” or “I don’t deserve this.”

And it allows us to rest in the knowledge God works out His loving purpose not only in pleasant and encouraging experiences but also in unsettling and painful ones. It is only by grace alone we all learn how to “give abounding, overflowing thanks in literally all  circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, emphasis added).

The antidote to thanklessness is found only in union with Christ. Do you see in yourself any lingering ingratitude over what God has chosen not to give you?

Bring it to the foot of the cross, seek Christ’s forgiveness, and ask for His help to see all that you have been freely given in His gospel. Set aside a time each day to write down and recount to yourself the blessings from God you have received.

Then you will authentically, truly, abound and overflow with thanks be to God.

Overflowing with Gratitude

Colossians 2:6-7 Amplified Bible

6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in [union with] Him [reflecting His character in the things you do and say—living lives that lead others away from sin], 7 having been deeply rooted [in Him] and now being continually  built up in Him and [becoming increasingly more] established [a]in your faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing in it with gratitude.

Here is a biblical guide to living an exciting, zestful life: Obey him, follow him, converse with him, draw upon his grace, lean on him, look to him for comfort.

That is how to continue to live in him.

Three things have happened to you, says Paul.

You have been rooted in Christ.

Like a deeply rooted tree, you have been planted in Christ and those strong roots will hold you.

Secondly, you have been built up in him. Not only are the roots going deep, but you are growing up as well. You are increasing in faith and experience.

And thirdly, you have been strengthened in the faith.

You have tested it, put it to work in your home, in your neighborhood.

You have had to face problems which were tests, your faith was strengthened by them.

As these three things take place, we are to add one more:

we are to be overflowing with thankfulness. 

Be grateful to God for everything he has given you, no matter what it is.

Have you learned yet to be thankful in everything?

That means you do not grumble, complain and criticize.

You cannot have it both ways.

To be thankful means to find something in every situation for which you can genuinely be grateful.

The great Bible commentator, Dr. Matthew Henry, once was robbed as he walked along a highway.

Afterwards, he told his friends there were four things for which he gave thanks.

First, he was grateful that he had never been robbed before.

Secondly, he said, Though they took all my money, I am glad they did not get very much. That was something to be thankful for.

Thirdly, he said, Though they took my money, they did not take my life, and I am grateful for that. 

Finally, he suggested, I am thankful it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed. 

There was a man who had learned how to be overflowing with thankfulness!

Have you ever learned to talk to yourself and ask yourself questions?

If you read the Psalms, you will often find you are listening to a man talking to himself. 

Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you so disquieted within me?

The psalmist is standing at a mirror shaving, feeling blue, and asking himself, What’s the matter with you? Why are you like this? That is a good thing to do.

When you ask yourself questions about yourself you must also ask, why didn’t worse things happen?

Look beyond what has occurred and realize it could have been much worse.

Then discover all the things which God has supplied and which you have been taking for granted: his care, his love, the shelter of your home (whatever fits your situation), and begin to give an over abundance of thanks for those.

If you do, expect something will happen: you will find yourself turned on, not turned off about everything. You will find your life filled with zest, vitality and excitement. You will have discovered the answer to abundant boredom is God!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 30 Revised Standard Version

Thanksgiving for Recovery from Grave Illness

A Psalm of David. A Song at the dedication of the Temple.

30 I will extol thee, O Lord, for thou hast drawn me up,
    and hast not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried to thee for help,
    and thou hast healed me.
3 O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol,
    restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.[a]

4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
    and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment,
    and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
    but joy comes with the morning.

6 As for me, I said in my prosperity,
    “I shall never be moved.”
7 By thy favor, O Lord,
    thou hadst established me as a strong mountain;
thou didst hide thy face,
    I was dismayed.

8 To thee, O Lord, I cried;
    and to the Lord I made supplication:
9 “What profit is there in my death,
    if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise thee?
    Will it tell of thy faithfulness?
10 Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me!
    O Lord, be thou my helper!”

11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing;
    thou hast loosed my sackcloth
    and girded me with gladness,
12 that my soul[b] may praise thee and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give thanks to thee for ever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Deal with your servant in accordance with your grace, and teach me your laws. I am your servant; pray, give me understanding, give me discernment so that I can know your instruction. Psalm 119: 121-128

Psalm 119:121-128 New American Standard Bible

Ayin

121 I have done justice and righteousness;
Do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 Be a guarantor for Your servant for good;
Do not let the arrogant oppress me.
123 My eyes fail with longing for Your salvation,
And for Your righteous [a]word.
124 Deal with Your servant according to Your graciousness,
And teach me Your statutes.
125 I am Your servant; give me understanding,
So that I may know Your testimonies.
126 It is time for the Lord to act,
For they have broken Your Law.
127 Therefore I love Your commandments
Above gold, yes, above pure gold.
128 Therefore I carefully follow all Your precepts concerning everything,
I hate every false way.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

In this section of Psalm 119 we find some of the most memorable words in the entire psalm, as the writer declares that he loves God’s Word “more than gold, more than pure gold.”

But if we lift this Psalmist’s beautiful confession out of its context, we miss a more subtle truth in these verses: the psalmist’s plea to understand God’s Word.

In declaring how he deeply treasures all of God’s Word, the psalmist is not merely offering a beautiful senti­ment. He offers this like evidence in a court of law, as if he is testifying like a plaintiff. Because he loves God’s words above all else and seeks to follow them all, God should rescue him from his oppressors.

Knowing that we sinfully tend to see only our own point of view and that we often fall short, most of us would hesitate to put God on trial in a way like this.

Nevertheless, we can learn so very much from the psalmist’s wise request. He acknowledges his 100% need for help in understanding God’s precious Word.

Though we may not all dare to call God to account in pleading for his help, we all 100% need guidance in discerning the authentic truth of God’s Word. We hear God’s voice most clearly when we wholeheartedly ask him to remove our distractions and as far as the east is from west, reveal himself and his will to us.

And when God does speak to us through his Word—as he certainly will—we must then strive to wholeheartedly apply God’s teaching unto our daily lives.

Hiding God’s Word In Our Hearts

The first half of this stanza showed one reason that the psalmist was certain that God would deliver him. The rest of this passage gives two more reasons.

 Take a look at this passage in Psalm 119:125-128:

God is a loving God. Of course, that goes hand in hand with his holiness and the need for righteousness in our lives. As the psalmist has discovered and revealed in this stanza of Psalm 119, God will deliver his people because of his love; and, in fact, God will deliver the psalmist because of that love.

The psalmist definitely has enemies, and his enemies are the enemies of God.

When we consider the whole of this Psalm, this is perhaps the lowest point in the entirety of Psalm 119, and we see the writer cry out for deliverance. His first reason for requesting that deliverance is because of God’s love, in verse 124.

The second reason the psalmist gives here is because he is God’s servant. The writer is basically declaring, “I belong to you, God! Help me because of that!”

And like any good earthly master, who cares deeply for that which belongs to him, should God do any less than completely care for those who belong to him?

The psalmist also seems to understand that God’s deliverance can be seen in the Word. He asks for deliverance, and he asks for it in the form of discernment to understand God’s statutes completely. You can see this clearly in verse 125.

Finally, the third reason the psalmist gives, in verse 126, is simply because it is time for God to act.

This has nothing to do with the writer’s timeline, or because time is somehow running out before the psalmist will be overwhelmed by those who are against him. No, here, the writer is more concerned with God’s reputation than his own temporary needs. His cry is that God should act because his law is being broken.

This is a quality that is rare in our world.

We tend to place our own needs and values ahead of all else.

But the writer here has shown in what order the priorities should be.

Our desire should be for God, and for his Word, above our own needs.

In the closing verses of this stanza, the writer gives a contrasting statement, one that depicts a deep hatred of what is wrong against a love for what is right.

In our age of relativism, this is a hard statement for many to accept.

We would rather believe that what is right for you may not necessarily be right for me.

We would rather not have a definitive right and wrong, a moral, ethical absolute because it brings with them guilt and conviction.

But that is what the writer gives us here. He states that there is a definite right path and a definite wrong one. There is the whole truth and there is the whole lie. There are things that God detests, that we should detest as well. And there are definitely things that God deeply loves that we should seek after to love also.

There is an absolute truth, and we must hold to it firmly. We must avoid every wrong path and cling to the one thing that is true above all else. We must hate what God hates, or we will never learn to love God fully. And the best way to know what God hates and what God values can be found by reading his Word.

I strongly encourage you the reader to 100% take the time daily to invest in the pursuit of God’s heart. I strongly urge you to spend quality time in his Word on a daily basis. It’s the only way that we can discover the truth and grow in it fully.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 19 New American Standard Bible

The Works and the Word of God.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

19 The heavens tell of the glory of God;
And their expanse declares the work of His hands.
2 Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
4 Their [a]line has gone out into all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
In them He has placed a tent for the sun,
5 Which is like a groom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices like a strong person to run his course.
6 Its rising is from [b]one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the [c]other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7 The Law of the Lord is [d]perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.
10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much pure gold;
Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, Your servant is warned by them;
In keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults.
13 Also keep Your servant back from presumptuous sins;
Let them not rule over me;
Then I will be innocent,
And I will be blameless of great wrongdoing.
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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For our whole heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in, lean on, rely on, and are confident, in His holy name. Psalm 33:18-22

Psalm 33:18-22 Names of God Bible

18 Yahweh’s eyes are on those who fear him,
    on those who wait with hope for his mercy
19 to rescue their souls from death
    and keep them alive during a famine.

20 We wait for Yahweh.
    He is our help and our Magen.
21 In him our hearts find joy.
    In his holy name we trust.
22 Let your mercy rest on us, O Yahweh,
    since we wait with hope for you.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

How well do we know that God authentically cares deeply about our emotions?

Your heavenly Father truly 100% longs for your life to be marked by emotional joy, fulfillment, satisfaction, and peace. He longs for your emotions to be rooted and grounded in his steadfast love and goodness. Our God is an emotional God.

He is not void of feelings.

We feel because he feels.

We have emotions because we are made in his image.

For much of my Christian life I thought my emotions had to be based on my circumstances. I felt happy or sad or mad or depressed solely based on others’ opinions of me, the pressures of life, and opportunities I had or didn’t have.

As a result I was on a constant emotional roller coaster following the ups and downs of this shaky world. I found myself controlled by the things of the world rather than the foundation of love laid before me by the sacrificial love of Jesus.

Scripture continually describes a link between emotional health and trust.

Isaiah 26:3-4 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” 

Psalm 56:3-4 says, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” 

Psalm 33:21 says, “For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.”

We are robbed of having our emotions rooted in God whenever we take on more pressure than we are meant to carry.

Our emotional health is directly linked to our level of trust.

We feel pressure at work when we look to our job and co-workers for our bosses assurances, provision, identity, purpose, and fulfillment.

We feel pressure in our relationships when our worth isn’t based on God’s perspective but the opinions of others.

We are robbed of peace whenever we try and plan our own steps rather than our efforts at following our Good Shepherd into the green pastures and still waters.

Trust is something we are not created to give away very lightly. We value trust as deeply as we value our own lives, constantly scrutinizing others to see if they’re worthy of our trust. But still we are created, shaped, to do life with help.

We are made to place our trust in that which will provide us with more life, joy, and peace. I pray that this week you and I will discover how trustworthy our heavenly Father is. I pray that we will willingly hand over control of our lives to a capable, loving, and near God. And I pray we will experience the abundant life that only comes through placing our trust in a God who gives up everything for true 100% authentic abiding relationship with us. I pray for the sun to be still.

John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

God’s heart is to fill you with peace. He longs for you to have all the fruit of the Spirit dwelling within you. He has consistent, constant peace available to you.

But you must trust him in every area of your life.

You must hand over the reins of your relationships, job, identity, and plans to your Good Shepherd.

You must trust that he will guide you perfectly into an abundant life.

Look to your heavenly Father for peace.

Find rest in his abundant love.

Find your self-worth in the fact that God so desired relationship with you that he laid down his own life to have it.

Your Father counts you worthy of the death of his only Son.

Trust him today.

Place your entire life in his capable hands.

Experience abundant life in the area of your emotions, rooting and grounding yourself in his unconditional, available love.

May your life be marked by increasing emotional health as you grow in trust.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the link between trust and emotional health. Allow Scripture to stir up your desire and willingness to trust God with every area of your life.

“For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.” Psalm 33:21

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” Psalm 56:3-4

2. Where are you not experiencing abundant life in your emotions? 

Where are you void of peace, joy, passion, and purpose?

3. Ask God to help you discern what part of your life you are not trusting to him. Hand over that area to him and find peace and rest in his trustworthiness.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” Isaiah 26:3-4

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27

Don’t settle for less than Jesus died to give you.

Your life can be completely wrapped up in God’s presence, unconditional love, and ability to guide you.

You can be filled with the emotions of God.

You don’t have to settle for pressure, stress, anger, and frustration.

You don’t have to settle for sadness, insecurity, or depression.

Place your trust in God, open your heart, and receive the peace that can only come from your life being hidden in the heart of your perfect heavenly Father.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 23 Names of God Bible

Psalm 23

A psalm by David.

1 Yahweh is my Roeh.
    I am never in need.
2         He makes me lie down in green pastures.
        He leads me beside peaceful waters.
3         He renews my soul.
        He guides me along the paths of righteousness
            for the sake of his name.
4 Even though I walk through the dark valley of death,
    because you are with me, I fear no harm.
        Your rod and your staff give me courage.

5 You prepare a banquet for me while my enemies watch.
    You anoint my head with oil.
    My cup overflows.

6 Certainly, goodness and mercy will stay close to me all the days of my life,
    and I will remain in Yahweh’s house for days without end.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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What shall I say of God’s Sovereignty and my empty library inside the most hallowed honored, humbled halls of wisdom? Job 42:1-6

God is sovereign (42:2b) His will is always accomplished. No purpose of God can be removed. God is omniscient (42:3) While our knowledge is limited, God knows all things at all times. God is independent (42:4) He does not need anything from us. We are the dependent party! God has revealed himself (42:5) God has revealed himself to us through His creation, and His Word. God is holy (42:6) He expects us to come before him in humility and repentance.

Job 42:1-6 Complete Jewish Bible

42 Then [at last,] Iyov gave Adonai this answer:

2 “I know that you can do everything,
that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

3 “[You asked,] ‘Who is this, hiding counsel,
without having knowledge?’
Yes, I spoke, without understanding,
of wonders far beyond me, which I didn’t know.

4 “Please listen, and I will speak.
[You said,] ‘I will ask questions; and you, give me answers’ —
5 I had heard about you with my ears,
but now my eye sees you;
6 therefore I detest [myself]
and repent in dust and ashes.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Sovereignty is a tough concept to wrap our heads around, especially in today’s highly influenceable culture.

Without exception, everyone answers to someone.

Public figures change their stances based on the feedback they get. Politicians are swayed by high powered well financed lobbyists, donors.

Corporations react to economic pressures both at home and abroad, stock market changes, world events such as war and changes in leadership at the top of their government’s respective food chains and their ‘partisan’ legislative actions, world banks set their interest rates on loans, those sudden boycotts.

In contrast to the famous sign on Harry Truman’s desk, the buck doesn’t seem to stop anywhere, there is always somebody higher up in the decision making food chain who push agendas. There is no ultimate authority, no sovereignty.

Except with God.

Job just barely scratched the surface of God’s sovereignty when he said to God, “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you” (Job 42:2 NLT).

In fact, God will do what He pleases with whomever He chooses whenever He wishes. That’s God’s absolute power. God answers to absolutely no one.

He is not swayed by public opinion or conventional wisdom.

He doesn’t have to ask anyone’s permission or worry about anyone’s reaction.

He doesn’t seek approval, likes, or popularity.

God cannot be second-guessed because everything He does is perfect. His ways are right—always and forever and absolutely without fail.

Psalm 115:3 says, “Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes” (NLT).

Some people challenge His sovereignty by asking, “What about the bad things that happen in life? Are they part of what He wishes?” And the answer is yes.

Evil, suffering, and tragedy aren’t arguments against a sovereign God. They are all firmly under His control. Whatever happens in this life, good or bad, is either caused by God or allowed by God. I know it’s truly 100% hard for some of us to chew on and digest. That’s because we’re limited in our present circumstances.

Can there be an ‘up’ without a ‘down?’

Can there be a ‘left’ without a ‘right?’

Can there be ‘light’ without ‘darkness?’

Can there be ‘life’ without ‘death?’

Not according the God’s own Created Order – Genesis 1

Chaos would abound unchecked…and God will have no part of that – (Genesis 1)

God detests unbalanced scales …

Proverbs 11:1 Complete Jewish Bible

11 False scales are an abomination to Adonai,
    but accurate weights please him.

Proverbs 16:11 Complete Jewish Bible

11 The balance and scales of justice have their origin in Adonai;
    all the weights in the bag are his doing.

Proverbs 20:23 Complete Jewish Bible

23 Adonai detests a double standard in weights,
    and false scales are not good.

Someday, we will better understand the wisdom and purpose of God’s plan.

In the meantime, we take the word of the psalmist who wrote this about God:

“Your faithfulness extends to every generation, as enduring as the earth you created. Your regulations remain true to this day, for everything serves your plans” (Psalm 119:90-91 NLT).

Everything serves God’s plans. 

The apostle Paul wrote, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28 NLT).

Everything is part of God’s good plan. 

In Paul’s words, we find the most amazing truth about God’s sovereignty.

The English historian Lord Acton wrote that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

But he was referring to human authorities, none of whom ever possessed “absolute power.”

The amazing truth is that God, who does possess absolute power, uses His max power to accomplish authentic, genuinely good things in the lives of His people.

God’s sovereignty can’t be separated from His love.

That means we can trust Him to care for us.

We may not always understand what that care looks like or why certain things happen, but we can be confident that God will work all things for our good. No one and nothing can thwart His will. We can rest assured in His sovereignty.

Be the Swiftest to Listen and the Slowest to Speak …

Job 42:1-3 Amplified Bible

Job’s Confession

42 Then Job answered the Lord and said,

2 
“I know that You can do all things,
And that no thought or purpose of Yours can be restrained.
3 
“[You said to me] ‘Who is this that darkens and obscures counsel [by words] without knowledge?’
Therefore [I now see] I have [rashly] uttered that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

Some time ago, while reading Job 42 for my devotions, I had a scary thought:

sometimes we do what Job did when he was trying to make God accountable for his actions (see Job 38-41). Sometimes we talk of things we don’t understand.

Sometimes we try to explain a Bible passage we don’t comprehend. At other times we offer cheap words of comfort or give glib answers to life’s problems.

Job asked for God’s forgiveness for speaking without really understanding.

He repented of speaking up too hastily. At one point Job said, “I [must] put my hand over my mouth” (Job 40:4).

Those of us who are in the habit of being quick to speak may need to literally put our hand over our mouth.

Some of us need to be forgiven for the times we spoke of things we did not understand or for giving answers when there were none.

James 1:19 tells us to be quick to listen and slow to speak.

We have to stop talking and start listening.

Years ago a seminar speaker told us that if we hoped to be effective in our service for Christ we had to put James’s warning into vigorous practice.

Unfortunately some of us are not only slow to listen; we are also slow to learn.

We need to ask the intercession of Holy Spirit to help us become slow to speak.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 19 Amplified Bible

The Works and the Word of God.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

19 The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And the expanse [of heaven] is declaring the work of His hands.
2 
Day after day pours forth speech,
And night after night reveals knowledge.
3 
There is no speech, nor are there [spoken] words [from the stars];
Their voice is not heard.
4 
Yet their voice [in quiet evidence] has gone out through all the earth,
Their words to the end of the world.
In them and in the heavens He has made a tent for the sun,
5 
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.
6 
The sun’s rising is from one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7 
The law of the Lord is perfect (flawless), restoring and refreshing the soul;
The statutes of the Lord are reliable and trustworthy, making wise the simple.
8 
The precepts of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true, they are righteous altogether.
10 
They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
11 
Moreover, by them Your servant is warned [reminded, illuminated, and instructed];
In keeping them there is great reward.
12 
Who can understand his errors or omissions? Acquit me of hidden (unconscious, unintended) faults.
13 
Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous (deliberate, willful) sins;
Let them not rule and have control over me.
Then I will be blameless (complete),
And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.
14 
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable and pleasing in Your sight,
O Lord, my [firm, immovable] rock and my Redeemer.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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“Only be strong, very courageous; be careful, vigilant, to do everything in accordance with the entire law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may all prosper and be successful wherever you go.” Joshua 1:7-9

Joshua 1:7-9 Complete Jewish Bible

7 Only be strong and very bold in taking care to follow all the Torah which Moshe my servant ordered you to follow; do not turn from it either to the right or to the left; then you will succeed wherever you go. 8 Yes, keep this book of the  Torah on your lips, and meditate on it day and night, so that you will take care to act according to everything written in it. Then your undertakings will prosper, and you will succeed.  9 Haven’t I ordered you, ‘Be strong, be bold’? So don’t be afraid or downhearted, because Adonai your God is with you wherever you go.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Moses had led Israel for forty long and sometimes difficult years (Joshua 5:6).

The people had known no other leader. Now they would be going into their new land without Moses to guide them. What would Joshua the new leadership do?

As God appoints Joshua, he does not say, “It’s time for fresh ideas; it’s time to do things differently than Moses did. Be creative.” Rather, God says the words of Moses are still 100% relevant. They were right for Israel’s life with God in the desert, and they will be right for the people’s life with God in the promised land.

It was not that Moses had such good ideas, but Moses had spoken the words which God Himself had given him to lead and teach Israel. To listen to Moses to the words of Moses in the desert was to hear the Word of God. And now, though Moses had died, God was promising that the Word of God would not pass away.

So God said to Joshua: “Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you… Be strong and VERY courageous. Do not stray either to the right or to the left from the Word’s God gives you, by this you will be prosperous. Do not be afraid; nor be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

The setting of Joshua 1:7-9 was when Joshua was to succeed Moses as the leader of the Israelites to capture the promised land.  

So what was God’s promise to Joshua and also to every believer?  

It’s simple- the Book of the Law can only refer to one thing- God’s very own words recorded in the Bible.  

The instruction for success in the Christian life is based on the Bible which has also been spelled out as “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.”

How true it is.  

Joshua was told to always put the Book of the Law seriously because it contains God’s very own words and that, obedience to the Bible guarantees long term success not with the world but with God.

It’s always Bible first before everything else- and seriously I want to be more consistent with it.  

Everything else comes next, Bible comes first.  

God commanded Joshua to really put the Bible in mind.  

That is, to study the Bible diligently and to take it in context, not out of context.

It’s always about context.  

This is similar to the command in 2 Timothy 2:15 saying, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  

As said, the best way to study the Bible is to never let it out of mind.  

However this does not mean that a person should be reading the Bible all the time without ceasing.  The rather practical application is that one must always consider what the Bible says before doing anything else lest they fall into temptation.  

As said, Ephesians 6:17 says, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God:”  

One must know the Scriptures as Jesus quoted Scriptures when He fought against the Devil who misused the Scriptures.

So what is the prosperity here?  

It’s not about becoming ultra billionaires like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and so on, it’s not that kind of material prosperity.  

No, this is not the prosperity gospel of the charismatics and conspiracy theorists.  

This prosperity is based on the Bible.  

Rather this is prosperity in doing what God wants to be done from good works to soulwinning.  

When one by God’s grace prays to God to help him/her apply Scripture, they will succeed even when oppression, persecution comes and goes and comes again… it’s definitely a cycle that cannot be avoided.  

A good example would be how the prophets and apostles withstood persecution and succeeded in doing what God asked them to do- whenever they were rooted upon the Word of God.  

Now that’s real prosperity.  

The money of the world will pass away, the money a Christian has is but merely entrusted but the riches of Heaven cannot compare because they are eternal.

Today the Lord God still promises to be with us—always. Jesus, the Son of God, came and fulfilled the law of Moses, and do not stray either to the right or to the left, now we know God through the Holy Spirit, who comes to live in our hearts.

The Spirit helps us understand, walk upon the straight and narrow, the words of Moses, all the rest of he Bible, which gives us the boldness and the courage, the truest Christian experience, proclaim true, trustworthy, the Word of God.

Except which one of us who calls themselves “Truly Christian” has the boldness and the very real courage to not stray to the left (liberal, progressive) or to the right (traditional, conservative) but to stay true and centered on the message of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit – God loves everyone!

Get to know God as much as He knows us? (Psalm 139)

Get to know the Word of God as the Word of God knows us? (Hebrews 4:12)

Made an authentic, bold, concerted, courageous genuine effort to live into and out from the Word of God – Matthew 28:16-20?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 119:1-24 Complete Jewish Bible

א (Alef)

119 How happy are those whose way of life is blameless,
who live by the Torah of Adonai!
2 How happy are those who observe his instruction,
who seek him wholeheartedly!
3 They do nothing wrong
but live by his ways.
4 You laid down your precepts
for us to observe with care.
5 May my ways be steady
in observing your laws.
6 Then I will not be put to shame,
since I will have fixed my sight on all your mitzvot.
7 I thank you with a sincere heart
as I learn your righteous rulings.
8 I will observe your laws;
don’t completely abandon me!

ב (Bet)

9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart;
don’t let me stray from your mitzvot.
11 I treasure your word in my heart,
so that I won’t sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, Adonai!
Teach me your laws.
13 I proclaim with my mouth
all the rulings you have spoken.
14 I rejoice in the way of your instruction
more than in any kind of wealth.
15 I will meditate on your precepts
and keep my eyes on your ways.
16 I will find my delight in your regulations.
I will not forget your word.

ג (Gimel)

17 Deal generously with your servant;
then I will live and observe your word.
18 Open my eyes, so that I will see
wonders from your Torah.
19 Though I’m just a wanderer on the earth,
don’t hide your mitzvot from me.
20 I am continually consumed
with longing for your rulings.
21 You rebuke the proud, the cursed,
who stray from your mitzvot.
22 Remove scorn and contempt from me,
because I observe your instruction.
23 Even when princes sit and plot against me,
your servant meditates on your laws.
24 Also your instructions are my delight;
they are my counselors.

https://translate.google.com/

The sorrows of those who dare to run after another god will truly multiply. Challenging situations where folks must be running to God. Psalm 16:4

Psalm 16:1-5 English Standard Version

You Will Not Abandon My Soul

A Miktam[a] of David.

16 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
    I have no good apart from you.”

3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
    in whom is all my delight.[b]

4 The sorrows of those who run after[c] another god shall multiply;
    their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
    or take their names on my lips.

5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
    you hold my lot.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

People make all kinds of choices – great, neutral, simple, easy, safe, complex, life and death, tasty (Psalm 34:8) distasteful but necessary, 100% catastrophic.  

David says, in the midst of his words about choosing to follow and come under the protection, care, benevolence of God, that many people will inexplicably  choose otherwise.  They worship, take another god or gods: little gods, or idols.  

David observes how they singe mindedly pursue idolatry and how that lifestyle never seems to take long before it reaps a multiplication of big sorrows in lives.

Sorrow is defined as:

A feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune suffered by oneself or others.

synonyms: sadness, unhappiness, misery, despondency, regret, depression,despair, desolation, dejection, wretchedness, gloom, dolefulness,melancholy, woe, heartache, and grief.

In the midst of ten other uplifting verses, verse 4 of Psalm 16 is the one sad one.

It does not seem to be a specific rebuke or a call to repentance for the people of God who’ll one day go or they have already gone wayward and become spiritual adulteresses, but a “just saying”, matter-of-fact, or it-is-what-it-is, truthful assessment of the sinful human race that the people of God are surrounded by.

I have not wanted to write on this verse, because it is ugly.  It is not good news.

The fact that people “choose otherwise” and “wed themselves” to another god, is greatly distasteful and repulsive to me.  It is discouraging and mind-blowing.

But, I get it, that we all need salvation and deliverance.  I was not born saved. I was 41 years old and had to be broken (left hip) down and saved and so set free.

I was deceived by my own thoughts and beliefs and my own hatred of God and in bondage to all those lustful things which draw a young man into true misery. 

Jesus saved and delivered me.  The thought of not serving him is distasteful, but I understand and have compassion for those who are deceived and in bondage.

Humans were designed for relationship with God, the one and only true God.

That relationship involves bowing and kneeling down to and coming under the reign and sovereignty of God, and receiving 24 hours a day 7 day care from God. 

From the beginning, we were created in the Image of God to worship, serve God.

We obey God and live our lives before God with one another.  

God is good and God is love, by the way.

God does not force people to come into relationship with him.  

He relentlessly loves people who have not chosen him and is kind to them.  

Yet, many people will still choose to wed themselves otherwise.  We are designed to be worshipers and serve God and to be 100% cared for by God.

The idea is we have, of our own free will chosen to be in a covenant relationship with God where we are giving fidelity to God, and we are taken care of by God.

Folks who say, “thanks but no thanks”, to God, then and now, are choosing to make themselves vulnerable to idolatry.  By choosing not to follow God, they are open to following someone else.  And who, whom you follow is your “god”.

David had to have observed the pagan religions of his geographic area, who did “drink offerings of blood”, and “spoke the names”.  

This was the popular pagan idolatry that surrounded Israel.

David, in line with the OT commands, says, “I will not do that”.

Remember the first of the 10 commandments is, “No other gods”, and the second is, “No graven images (carved idol or representation of a god used in worship)”.

Something we observe, is that if a person does not choose God, that they often choose “gods”.

It is easy to see this with people in other religions, especially ones that involve prayer and/or have statues (idols).

Sometimes, people who say they have ‘no religion’ are also choosing another god or gods.

That god or those gods are things like their self, humanism, or libertine-ism, for example.  Narcissism is a very popular religion today.  Money also gets a lot of worship time.  And money is not the root of all evil, but the love of money is.

What David is saying in this side-note in Psalm 16, verse 4; is that these other paths that people choose, are paths of deep sorrow, sadness, and grief.  

There is no happiness outside of the God of the Bible, the One God, The Creator, and His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Those outside, who have chosen others, can really only distract themselves, get “mood altered”, be in more of a distracted state of mind, and be more and more deceived, then living and becoming deceivers to others who have yet to choose.

Death, destruction, and massive heartache seems to be their only assured and chosen inheritance.

Challenging Situations Where Christians Must Run to God.

Psalm 16:4-6 The Message

4 Don’t just go shopping for a god.
    Gods are not for sale.
I swear I’ll never treat god-names
    like brand-names.

5-6 My choice is you, God, first and only.
    And now I find I’m your choice!
You set me up with a house and yard.
    And then you made me your heir!

In our greatest needs and facing our most difficult obstacles, we desperately need God. It’s urgent we run to Him and not the failing philosophies of man.

Every need we have is answered in who God is.

Here are some (far from all) of the times we need to run to our Father God.

1. Run to God When You Need Wisdom

We aren’t God, and His thoughts and ways are way beyond us (Isaiah 55:8-9).

But that does not mean we shouldn’t run to Him when we get confused, or when we desperately need His perspective for decisions or to deal with tough circumstances. 

The writer of Proverbs (3:5-8) we should not lean on our own understanding — our own wisdom — but rather we submit to God and allow Him to direct us.

The wisest place to begin that submission is in the living Scriptures, which offer every manner of guidance for many areas of Christian living (2 Timothy 3:16).

God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3 ).

Paul said we should come to God with all our requests (Philippians 4:6).

That certainly would include a plea for wisdom. James specifically encouraged believers to pray for wisdom or discernment concerning their trials (James 1:5). 

James 1:5-8 The Message

5-8 If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.

When nothing makes sense, or when you struggle to understand, turn to the matchless wisdom of God.

2. Run to God When Fears Assault You

Rather than run in fear or pull inward, Christians are encouraged to press forward with God who reaches out His hand and says, “Do not fear; I will help you” (Isaiah 41:13).

When fears assault, we need courage that comes from His presence.

When afraid, we can run to and trust in Him (Psalm 56:3-4).

God is our refuge, our strength, and our hiding place until the storms of life pass by (Psalm 27:1; 46:1-3; 57:1). 

The Son of God advised His disciples concerning fear.

He told them He would supply His own supernatural peace, and then He urged, “do not be afraid” (John 14:27, 16:33).

Even when we must face horrendous circumstances, threaten to swamp us or drown, it is God’s presence and peace that carries us through. (Mark 4:35-41) 

When fears mount up and threaten to overcome you, remember the Overcomer, Jesus, who came to bring you salvation and peace.

3. Run to God When Life Seems to Fall Apart (Psalm 42)

How truthful or fake do you believe this statement is:

“It’s easier (harder) to accept God’s providence — His caring provision for us based in His sovereign control — when we’re unchallenged by struggles or loss. But when so many things seem to fall apart at the seams and we instantly, innately, fail to see something positive happen, it’s too close to impossible to see any flicker of light.”

Joni Eareckson Tada has suffered greatly as a quadriplegic and with cancer.

In Is God Really in Control? she wrote about the times we wonder what God is up to when life seems to fall apart.

“Real satisfaction comes not in understanding God’s motives,” but in our own efforts at understanding His character, in trusting His promises, and in leaning on Him and resting in Him for everything as the Sovereign who reigns over us, who always knows exactly what He is doing and always does all things well.”

When we experience pain in life that, from a human standpoint, makes us feel everything is falling apart, it’s wise to turn to, lean on, and rest in Father God.

Nothing takes God by surprise, and nothing is outside the span of His control.

All the details of our story — even those things we cannot understand this side of Heaven — are designed with His holy purposes for us and His glory in mind.

He is sovereign, loving, and good. If you are a follower of Christ, one of the Father’s purposes is to make you more like Jesus (Romans 8:28-29), and He can use anything to accomplish that, even things that confuse us or bring us pain.  

Keeping always in the forefront of our minds that God alone is in complete control will help us face your greatest troubles.

When life seems to crumble, put on sneakers, run to and take comfort in Him.

God, Our first and best choice for our closest friend

Proverbs 17:17 The Message

One Who Knows Much Says Little

17 Friends love through all kinds of weather,
    and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.

One of God’s greatest gifts to humanity is relationships. We are created for relationships; we are all designed by God to be in community with others.

We will meet many people over our lifetime.

With some, we will have no more than brief interactions in passing by, and with others we will have friendly acquaintances.

Still others will become friends, even close friends, and others will become best friends forever companions for life.

With some friends our relationships can feel as close as family, like a brother or sister, and we may love them just like family members.

These are friends who will be there in both good times and bad, triumphs and tragedies, times of joy and times of sorrow.

Did you know that, in Jesus, God is actually our closest friend?

He isn’t a passerby who merely sizes us up, or an acquaintance who enters our life from time to time. Jesus is our brother, our closest friend, who gave up his own life so that we can become the adopted children of God, members of God’s everlasting family, and coheirs in his eternal inheritance (see Romans 8:14-17).

https://hymnary.org/text/what_a_friend_we_have_in_jesus_all_our_s

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 42 The Message

42 1-3 A white-tailed deer drinks
    from the creek;
I want to drink God,
    deep drafts of God.
I’m thirsty for God-alive.
I wonder, “Will I ever make it—
    arrive and drink in God’s presence?”
I’m on a diet of tears—
    tears for breakfast, tears for supper.
All day long
    people knock at my door,
Pestering,
    “Where is this God of yours?”

4 These are the things I go over and over,
    emptying out the pockets of my life.
I was always at the head of the worshiping crowd,
    right out in front,
Leading them all,
    eager to arrive and worship,
Shouting praises, singing thanksgiving—
    celebrating, all of us, God’s feast!

5 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?
    Why are you crying the blues?
Fix my eyes on God—
    soon I’ll be praising again.
He puts a smile on my face.
    He’s my God.

6-8 When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse
    everything I know of you,
From Jordan depths to Hermon heights,
    including Mount Mizar.
Chaos calls to chaos,
    to the tune of whitewater rapids.
Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers
    crash and crush me.
Then God promises to love me all day,
    sing songs all through the night!
    My life is God’s prayer.

9-10 Sometimes I ask God, my rock-solid God,
    “Why did you let me down?
Why am I walking around in tears,
    harassed by enemies?”
They’re out for the kill, these
    tormentors with their obscenities,
Taunting day after day,
    “Where is this God of yours?”

11 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?
    Why are you crying the blues?
Fix my eyes on God—
    soon I’ll be praising again.
He puts a smile on my face.
    He’s my God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

 Then Joshua spoke unto the Lord, “O sun, stand still at Gibeon, And O moon in the valley of Aijalon.” Will we dare to pray for the impossible? Joshua 10:7-14

Joshua 10:7-14 English Standard Version

7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. 8 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.” 9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal.  10 And the Lord  threw them into a panic before Israel, who[a] struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.

12 At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,

“Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
    and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
    until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.

Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. 14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Today I want us to consider a much more obscure and unknown prayer, a very short prayer given to us by Joshua. It’s a bold and courageous prayer of just 3 words – 3 impossible words.

In Joshua 10:12 it says …Sun, stand still. Joshua asked God to do the impossible and make the sun stand still in the sky and as we read on in Joshua 10:13 we see that the sun stood still.

God answered Joshua’s prayer and did the impossible.

God kept the sun from setting.

Now let’s look at the context of this prayer, see why Joshua asked God to do this.

JOSHUA was a remarkable man. He grew up to experience firsthand his nation Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. He saw the miracles of God and trusted Him.

• He spied on the land, and with Caleb, came back with a message of faith – that God would surely help them seize the Promised Land.

• But unfortunately the majority won that day, gripped by fear. So Joshua and Israel were thrown into 40 years of unnecessary wandering in the desert.

• Yet he kept his faith in God. No complaining, no blaming God. Eventually God chose him to succeed Moses and take the nation into Canaan.

Joshua had to lead his men to fight their way into the Promised Land. He never doubted God’s promise to Israel.

• We read here in Joshua 10 that five Amorite armies were planning to attack. Joshua went for a pre-emptive strike.

• He led his entire army on an all-night march towards the enemy’s camp, under the cover of darkness so that they could launch a pre-dawn surprise attack.

The distance from Gilgal to Gibeon is about 25 mils and it takes 2 or 3 days on a leisurely pace, but Joshua’s army covered the same distance in just one night!

• The long night march took the enemy completely by surprise.

• When the enemy lines broke, the Amorites started to flee into the valley.

• God got into the battle in verse 11: “As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the LORD hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky, and more of them died from the hailstones than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.” (Joshua 10:11)

As the sun set toward the horizon, Joshua knew that his time was up. Once it got dark, the enemies would slip away.

• Perhaps he realized that if he didn’t destroy them now, he would have lingering problems. And anything less than a victory would not glorify God.

• So he uttered into this outrageous prayer: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” (Josh 10:12) It wasn’t a private prayer but a public one, before all the people.

• And if you think this is too ridiculous, God answered him! Without delay!

(1) DARE TO SAY GOD-SIZED PRAYERS

Joshua has the audacity to ask God to do something, not just miraculous, but unbelievable and unprecedented.

• The fact that he could even thought of that was remarkable. Faith knows no limits, because with God, nothing is impossible. Joshua believed in a BIG God.

• Have you ever asked God for the impossible?

Does your unbelief limit what God can do for you?

That is, you believe God only for the achievable, the believable, the possible and so you pray only decent prayers; prayers that are more reasonable to answer.

When Peter saw Jesus walking on water, he did not stretch out his hand to help Jesus get onboard.

Instead he asked to be allowed to do the same – walk on water, and get to where Jesus was!

• In Acts 3 he saw a man crippled from birth, said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” (Acts 3:6)

and guess what happened … look it up for yourself.

• James says, “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” (James 5:17-18)

Read that again just to be sure you read it right – “and the heavens gave rain.”

Prayer is the arena where the measure of our faith meets all of God’s abilities.

We can pray prayers worthy of the God we’re praying to.

• “Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 27 “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:26-27)

• We worship the same God.

The only difference is Joshua, Peter, and Elijah had the audacity to pray prayers that lived up to God’s mighty power and glory.

Could it be that we are not seeing so much of God’s greatness because we have been making timid prayers? We have not been asking more than the natural?

Let us go beyond just timid prayers – giving thanks for the food I eat, asking God for a good weather day, heal from a serious illness, God to restore our land.

These are worthy prayers but we can go farther than that.

• We don’t have to worry about putting God in an awkward or embarrassing position. You’re not going to back Him into a corner (does the universe have corners?). You won’t ever challenge Him to do something beyond His aptitude.

• Let’s stretch our faith and ask God for the supernatural.

Ask for what He is capable of doing.

What is God not capable of doing when asked for in His will, Jesus’ name?

We do the natural, and trust God to for the “super natural” and we will see His supernatural works in our lives.

• When that happens, everybody will know it was God who did it.

No doubt about it, His Son will shine and He will surely be glorified.

Are we so bold, courageous to actually pray for God’s promises to be revealed?

Why was Joshua so bold?

He knows God.

He knows God’s will.

• During the march, God spoke to Joshua and gave him a promise:

“Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.” (Joshua 10:8)

• Joshua believed what God had promised him.

It was God’s will to defeat the enemy.

Joshua wants to see God’s purpose fulfilled.

• Someone says, “God listens to the voice of a man who himself has listened to the voice of God.”

Joshua knows God well enough to ask for the sun and the moon to stay still.

• He saw all the miracles God did back in Egypt, when He freed them from slavery.

He saw God drop food from the sky for 40 years to feed his people, Israel.

He saw how the Lord produced water from a rock and has no doubt what God can do.

• Here he did what he could as a commander, to plan and strategize, to lead the army in an all-night march and a pre-dawn strike – and let God do His part.

His faith in God comes through knowing God, and to know Him, we need to hear Him, we need to listen to Him, we need to trust Him and to obey Him.

• Romans 10:17 “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”

• That’s where we need to focus at – if you want your faith to grow, get to know Him more. To know Him, you need to HEAR Him more.

• Matt 7:24-25 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”

DON’T STAND IN HOPE, WALK IN FAITH

We can pray and stand in hope – in other words, we do nothing but just wait and hope that God will show up and do something.

• This is passive faith. James called it DEAD faith – faith without deeds is dead (James 2:26), it is useless. I need to show God my faith by what I do.

• We need to WALK IN FAITH – to move out, to do something to get to our destination (God’s destiny for us).

It is amazing to see the extent of human effort involved in this battle.

• Joshua’s army made a 25 mile overnight long march and launch straight into battle that lasted all the way to the next sunset. And he asked the Lord to stay the sun, for another full day! Can you sense how bold, how confident that was?

• Even though God was with them, had given them the promise of victory, and was personally involved in the battle (raining hailstones), it did free them from personal commitment.

• They knew God promised victory, they had to fight the war no matter what; they had to sweat it out, fight it out for night and days; they had to pay a price.

Success doesn’t come easy, even with God’s presence and promise.

• God wants us to be fully committed.

Victory wasn’t just a gift dropped down from the sky, right onto their laps.

• They had to believe God, have faith, trust God, fight for His ‘promised’ victory.

So too, even 4000 + years later, must we.

Possible?

Impossible?

• God has given us His promises.

God says He will be with us.

God will fight the battle for us.

But we need to do our part.

We need to put our hard work.

Walk in faith, don’t stand in hope.

CONCLUSION

The lesson we learn from Joshua 10 is that we serve a God who can transform the most adverse situations we face into opportunities to display His glory.

• Like the people of Israel, you may be facing a very difficult situation.

I cannot promise that God will stop the sun for you, but we can be sure that He can work a miracle in your life.

• He can transform whatever you are facing into something that will show His glory.

It’s human nature to want to skip straight from the promise to the payoff.

Who doesn’t want to get right to the good stuff?

But the process is invaluable.

The process is a time of strengthening.

The process is the place where you lay down your pride and learn to rely totally on God.

Most importantly, the process is the way we grow – to know God.

And that’s really the whole point – to KNOW God!

The process is the point.

Do not Fear! Pray God-sized prayers because God is more than capable of that.

Cling on to His will and what He has promised, and move on in faith.

God will always come through for you.

When Joshua faced an impossible situation – he cried out to God to do what most people would have thought was impossible – he asked God to make the sun stand still. Joshua was bold and courageous and faithful and God responded.

I believe God is waiting for us to be bold, courageous and faithful in our prayers.

I believe God wants us to pray for that which many might think is impossible but we pray it anyway because we know that with God all things are possible.

All things are possible with God which means that there is no impossible prayer.

God doesn’t want us to pray for the impossible he wants us to pray with God like conviction and Jesus’ faith for that which we know can be possible with Him.

Jesus said if we faith the size of a mustard seed that nothing will be impossible.

Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.

Knowing that all things are possible with God, what are all those seemingly impossible situations God wants you to pray for with boldness and courage?

What impossible situation in your life is God just waiting for you to pray about so he can amaze you with his power and grace and goodness?

Is it a relationship that needs to be healed or a financial problem that needs to be fixed?

Is the impossible or possible situation a spiritual transformation in your life or in the life of someone you know or love?

Is it a prayer for physical or emotional healing, power to overcome temptation or finally to achieve a certain goal that has eluded you for an entire lifetime?

What is the impossible situation in your life that God wants to make possible?

Can you name it – write it down and start getting specific with God about what you want?

God is waiting for us to be bold and courageous in our prayers – so what is the impossible prayer (or possible prayer) you need to be praying today?

Now… what will take for you to pray this impossible prayer with boldness, faith and confidence?

What will it take for you to pray like Joshua knowing that God can 100% make it happen? What does it take for us to ask God to do that which is impossible to us?

Praying for the impossible means we stop trying to do it ourselves and start asking God.

Whether it’s in relationships, finances, health, our jobs, our community or finding our place in the church or in our world, when we finally stop trying to do it on our own, start asking God to do it for us, God can finally step in, do it.

So what it takes to pray for that which seems impossible is

  • A vision of God’s Power
  • An understanding of God’s love
  • Being in synch with God’s word
  • Humbling ourselves in the Presence of God.

That’s what it takes to pray for the impossible

– all that’s left now is to actually pray.

Are you praying yet?

One final thought, while Joshua prayed his prayer once and God did it, that prayer only came after a lifetime of Joshua praying and walking with God.

God may not answer our prayers the moment we pray them, it may take a bit of patience and perseverance and persistence in prayer until God answers – so don’t pray once and then give up when the sun sets. Pray every day until God reveals Himself and moves in your situation or moves in your heart and life.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 29 English Standard Version

Ascribe to the Lord Glory

A Psalm of David.

29 Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,[a]
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.[b]

3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders,
    the Lord, over many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
    the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
    and Sirion like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
    the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth[c]
    and strips the forests bare,
    and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
    the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
11 May the Lord give strength to his people!
    May the Lord bless[d] his people with peace!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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