Mighty God

Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV) – “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.

We serve a mighty God. He is a God of love, a God of mercy, and a God of grace. Fret not thyself because of evil doers because our God is there to help us through all the ups and downs we encounter in this life.

Smokie Norful sings “Mighty God” and lets us know just how good God is. God is an awesome God.

Enter His Gates

Thanksgiving is not about getting ready to shop for Christmas. It is not about the turkey and the stuffing, or the green beans or the ham or any of those things, but it is about giving thanks for all the blessings the Lord has given us. Most importantly it is about thanking God for giving His only Son Jesus and Jesus giving His life for all who would accept Him into their life.

Psalm 100:4 (KJV) says, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

My Help

 

I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains? No, my strength comes from God, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains. He won’t let you stumble; your Guardian God won’t fall asleep. Not on your life! Israel’s Guardian will never doze or sleep. God’s your Guardian, right at your side to protect you—shielding you from sunstroke, sheltering you from moon stroke. GOD guards you from every evil; he guards your very life. He guards you when you leave and when you return, He guards you now, He guards you always. Psalm 121:1-8 (The Message)

This Psalm is one that reveals God as the helper, the keeper, the protector, and the preserver for the believer that relies solely on Him. The 121st Psalm is one of about 15 Psalms that are considered to be “Songs of Ascent”. These were songs that the Jews sang on their way up to Jerusalem which was about 2,700 feet in elevation. These journeys were taken usually three times a year for three different occasions of feast. This song or Psalm is one of expectation of help, protection, and preservation from the Lord. In this Psalm, the people who were journeying up to Jerusalem were not depending on their own resources or abilities, but they were totally depending on the help of God.

When we diligently seek God in times of need or turbulence, He will be there. His help may not necessarily be the help that we think it should be and it may not even come in the form we think it should come. God is independent of us and He does not think the way we think and He does not solve problems the same way we would solve them. Isaiah 55:8-9 (Amplified) says For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

His answers and solutions to our issues, problems, situations and troubles will usually be different from those solutions we might choose. His solutions will always surpass any that you or I could ever imagine. He will never fail us. It is up to us look to the hills, to knock on the door with anticipation, to seek Him with an open heart, and to accept the answer that He has revealed.

God is our keeper; He takes care of us. He is the warden of what can and cannot happen in our lives. He keeps us from the car accident on the way to work. He keeps us from entering into wrong relationships. Most of all, He is the keeper of our souls.

I know that He has been the keeper for me, because He has personally been there for me on many occasions. He has helped me avoid catastrophe. I remember one incident while driving to work on a major California freeway. My car began making a noise that I didn’t recognize and it started pulling to one side. As was my custom, I was driving in the fast lane, but as God would have it I was not exceeding the speed limit which I have been known to do from time to time. The Spirit prompted me to look in my passenger side mirror and move over slowly until I was able to pull all the way over to the right and off to the side. As soon as I had pulled off to the side, my rear passenger side tire blew out. For me that was my God keeping doing what He does best, keeping me from what could have easily been a disaster with several cars in a pile up. He knew ahead of time that I would need help and He cleared the way for me to be able to safely, simply, and smoothly move across four lanes without involving other vehicles.

God is not only our helper and our keeper, but is also our protector. He does not sleep, but he guards us, shields us, and covers us from dangers lurking in the background to attack us. He knows what is up ahead and gives us warnings. God protects our faith and our souls from the evil one.

He is also the preserver of our souls. Again, diligently seeking Him gives us protection and defense, strength, refuge, and a fortress to guard us day and night.

So when I enter the freeway of life’s situations, I know that my God is watching out for me. He is helping me, keeping me, protecting me and preserving me as I travel through the fiery arrows that are being pointed in my direction.

God is our refuge and strength an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah. Psalm 46:1-3 (NIV)

Dear Lord, help us to focus on you and the love that you so freely give to us. Help us not to focus on the problems that we face each day when we awake, but instead help us to look to you for the eternal hope in glory. Help us to praise you in advance of you answering our cries unto you. Amen!

 

Excerpt from: ”Water for the Thirsty Soul” by B.F. Gilder (Copyright 2012)

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More and More

God—you’re my God! I can’t get enough of you! I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God, traveling across dry and weary deserts. So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open, drinking in your strength and glory. In your generous love I am really living at last! My lips brim praises like fountains. I bless you every time I take a breath; my arms wave like banners of praise to you. Psalm 63:1-4 (The Message)

This particular Psalm was thought to have been written when David was seeking a safe haven from his son Absalom during his time of rebellion. David was lonely while hiding in an unfruitful wilderness. He had no friends, and no one to talk to and he cried out to the Lord because he desired to be in the presence of the Lord and have his thirst quenched.

The definition for desire means to crave or long for; it is an intense longing. The situation David found himself in caused him to sincerely desire the presence of the Lord. He was physically and spiritually thirsty. David was dry, parched and cracked. He needed a revival to make it through the situation he found himself in. He sought the only source of life-giving water that he knew would not fail him, the Almighty God.

Desiring God requires action on our part. Our part is to live in His presence daily and to seek Him diligently. How do you seek God and how do you live in His presence? When you pray sincerely, you desire the presence of the Lord. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Praying without ceasing gets the attention of God. It has been said that prayer is the key to the kingdom and that makes it an important action to get into the presence of the Lord.

Singing songs of praise and worship allows us to get into the presence of the Lord. His word says to “let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.” We can praise Him in the house of worship and we can praise Him in the open expanse of the universe He has created for us. He delights in our praise any time, and anywhere, because we are here to praise Him with everything we have and everything we are.

Counting our blessings and the many ways that God has been faithful to us will bring us into His presence. To receive the spiritual refreshing of our thirsty souls we will find ourselves desiring more and more of Him and we will seek Him in His Word, we will meditate day and night, we will sing, praise, and we will pray. It is through this constant process we will find our souls being refreshed from the fountain of life.

Excerpt from: ”Water for the Thirsty Soul” by B. F. Gilder (Copyright 2012)

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Hope

“Let Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, be upon us, in proportion to our waiting and hoping for You.” Psalm 33:22 (AMP)

Hope in Hebrew is yachal (phonetically pronounced yaw-chal’). It means to wait, to have hope, to wait expectantly. Waiting never seems to be the easiest thing for us to do. We live in an instant microwave society and expect we instant results for everything. We are a “I want mine and I want it now” society.  When we choose not to wait expectantly on the Lord, our hope becomes impaired.

Jesus is our reason for hoping and waiting. Hope in Him helps us to overcome any amount of doubt we have about our circumstances. When we hold to our hope and don’t let go, it is a supreme act of faith.

Reasons to have hope in God:

• God spoke and the world came into existence

• He is our Shepherd

• His eye is on all those who fear and revere Him

• He is our help and our shield

• He is faithful in everything

• He is strong and mighty

• He always in control

 I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1 (AMP)

Arrested

Tuesday Food For Thought

“If you were arrested today for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

Are you an undercover Christian? Would you be able to explain your faith to others? Do you demonstrate Christian characteristics in your everyday life? What would your defense be? Who would you look to as your attorney?  Would you be able to withstand the fiery darts of the enemy?

Don’t get arrested without the proper Christian credentials.

Ephesians 6:13-18

13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

Psalm 37: 23 & 24 (AMP) – The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step].  Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him.

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Praise

Psalms 150:6 – “Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.”

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P ~ Pray without ceasing.

R ~ Rejoice in the Lord always.

A ~ Acknowledge that you are a sinner saved by God’s abundant grace.

I ~  Praise Him because you are created in His image.

S  ~ Salvation. Praise Him because He has given you salvation (you are saved by faith it is the gift of God)

E ~  Eternal Life – you have eternal life because God gave His Son Jesus. St. John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

The angels praise God all day and all night. They cry holy, holy, holy, holy.

 Psalm 34: – “I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak His praise.”

Serve The Lord With Gladness

It is a privilege to serve God and for that reason serving Him should be done with gladness, vim, vigor, and vitality. But sometimes there are barriers that interfere with us from serving God.  One of these barriers that keeps us from serving God successfully is self-centeredness. By nature, we are selfish people. We want it to be all about us, what we need, what we want, and what we’ve just got to have. This selfish attitude places a huge gap between us and the Lord. Philippians 2:4 (Amplified) says, “Let each of you esteem and look upon and be concerned for not [merely] his own interests, but also each for the interests of others.”

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Another barrier or roadblock to serving God is materialism. Dictionary.com defines materialism as: “preoccupation with or emphasis on material objects, comforts, and considerations, with a disinterest in or rejection of spiritual, intellectual, or cultural values.” Don’t get me wrong, God does not mind His children being prosperous, having needs not wants met, and having the best that life offers. But, as the definition states, when it becomes a preoccupation and your spiritual life takes a back seat, it then becomes a barrier between you and God.  Luke 16:13 (Amplified ) says, “No servant is able to serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon (riches, or [a]anything in which you trust and on which you rely).”

Serve God with gladness and thankfulness. Don’t let it be a chore to serve Him. Don’t become preoccupied with things of this world because they will soon perish.

Psalm 100 (Amplified) – Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come before His presence with singing!  Know (perceive, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord is God! It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.  Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name!  For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting, His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations.

Birthday Blessings

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Today is my birthday and God said Happy Birthday Betty and because I love you so much Happy Birthday Faye. He smiled at me and told me that I am the love of His life and He gave me another year.

I woke up in good health, breathing, moving, talking, and walking, all without the help of another. My God is an awesome God. He is my friend, my father, and my all.

B = Blessed – I am blessed with all spiritual blessings. Spiritual blessings are eternal blessings. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,…” Ephesians 1:3 (NKJV)

 I = Image of God. – I am created in the image of God. “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:26-27

 R = Righteous – I am made righteous through Christ. “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:18-21 (NKJV)

T = Thankful – I am thankful for all that God has done and been in my life. “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:15-16 (NKJV)

 H = Happy – My joy and happiness are in the Lord. “All the days of the desponding and afflicted are made evil [by anxious thoughts and forebodings], but he who has a glad heart has a continual feast [regardless of circumstances].” Proverbs 15:15 (Amplified)

 D = Day – Psalm 118:24 (NKJV) “This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

 A = An Abundance – God desires us to have an abundant life. He wants us to have an abundance of love, joy, peace, forgiveness, guidance, mercy and grace. John 10:10 (NKJV), “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

 Y = Yoke – God wants our yoke and burdens to be given to Him. “Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.” Matthew 11:29 (Amplified)

Thank you Lord for a wonderful and blessed birthday!

My Prayer

My prayer today stems from a song that I listen to often. This song resonates with my soul and sometimes I just play it over and over. It is a song by gospel singer o VaShawn Mitchell entitled “Nobody Greater”.

Lord I just want to say thank you for all that you have done for me because there is nobody greater than you. I love my mother, I love my family, and I love my friends, but Lord none of them are greater than you. It doesn’t matter where I go I cannot find anyone greater than you. When I stand on the mountain top, Lord you are there. If I am down in the valley, Lord you are there. When I look up at the beautiful expanse of the sky, Lord you are there. When I look at the shimmering ripples of the ocean, Lord you are there, and when I look at the diverse species of plants, vegetables, and flowers, you are there. When the sun slowly sets, Lord you are there. As the moon takes over where the sun left off, Lord you are there. How can anyone be greater than you Lord? You are the master and the creator of all and there is nobody greater than you.

Lord because there is nobody greater than you, I need you now, I need you every hour, and I need you every day. Because there is nobody greater than you, I’m chasing hard after you because I need you in my life, in my spirit, and in my soul. Lord I need you because you reign now and forever.

Thank you Lord because I’m still here and I’m still standing. I thank you Lord for a home to live in, for my health, for my family, and my friends. Thank you for my place of employment. Thank you because I can laugh just as much as I can cry. Thank you for drying my tears when I cry. Thank you for giving me a shoulder to lean on and thank you for carrying me in those times when I did not have the strength to take another step.

Very simply, Lord I say thank you.

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