June 25, 2013

Ps 18:1 I will love You, O Lord, my strength
:2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
:3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.
:4 The pangs of death surround me, and the floods of ungodliness make me afraid.
:5 The sorrows of Sheol surround me; the snares of death confronted me.
:6 In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, eve to His ears.
:7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken, because He was angry.
:8 Smoke went up from His nostrils, and devouring fire from His mouth; coals were kindled by it.
:9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down with darkness under His feet.
:10 And He rode upon a cherub, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind.
:11 He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
:12 From the brightness before Him, His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire.
:13 The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice, hailstones and cals of fire.
:14 He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, lighnings in abundance, and He vanquished them.
:15 Then the channels of the sea were seen, the foundations of the world were uncovered at Your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.
:16 He sent from above, He took me, He drew me out of many waters.
:17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me
:18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support.
19 He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.
:20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me,
:21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
:22 For all His judgments were before me, and I did not put away His statutes from me.
:23 I was also blameless before Him, and I kept myself from my iniquity.
:24 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
:25 With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; with a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
:26 with the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.
:27 For You will save the humble people, but will bring down haughty looks.
:28 For You will light my lamp; the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.
:29 For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall.
:30 As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
:31 For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?
:32 It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect.
:33 He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on my high places.
:34 He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
:35 You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up. Your gentleness has made me great.
:36 You enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip.
:37 I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them; neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.
:38 I have wounded them, so that they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.
:39 For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
:40 You have also given me the necks of my enemies, so that I destroyed those who hated me.
:41 They cried out, but there was none to save; even to the Lord, but He did not answer them,
:42 Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind; I cast them out like dirt in the streets.
:43 You have delivered me from the strivings of the people; You have made me the head of the nations; a people I have not known shall serve me.
:44 As soon as they hear of me they obey me; the foreigners submit to me.
:45 The foreigners fade away, and come frightened from their hideouts.
:46 The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted.
:47 It is God who avenges me, and subdues the peoples under me;
:48 He delivers me from my enemies, You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man.
:49 Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing praises to Your name.
:50 Great deliverance He gives to His king, and shows mercy to His anointed, to David and his descendants forevermore.

For 10 years David ran from Saul.He didn't deserve Saul chasing him. Saul wanted David dead. Now Saul was dead and David would be king. David sang praises ot for himself but for God who had protected him.

1. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer (verse 2). Deliverance has come because God had stood at David's side.

2. I called upon the Lord (verse 6).  The Lord had heard David's cry and had come to his defense as He will to ours.

3. The Lord thundered (verse 13). These verses are a powerful description of the Lord's coming to David's rescue.

4. The Lord is my support (verse 18). The mighty God of Israel moves in power to rescue one man.

5. The Lord rewarded me (verse 20) David's faithfulness to God is rewarded with protection and honor, and ultimately with kingship.

6. It is God who arms me with strength (verse 32). Claim this as true in your life as you face new challenges.

7. I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them (verse 37) David sang this song every time God gave him victory over an enemy.

8. The Lord lives ! (verse 46) David's heart is about to burst. He loves God, and he wants everyone to know it.

June 12, 2013

Ps 17:1 Hear a just cause, O Lord, attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.
:2 Let my vindication come from Your presence; let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.
:3 You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.
:4 Concerning the works of men, by the word of Your lips, I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer.
:5 Uphold my steps in Your paths, that my footsteps may not slip.
:6 I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.
:7 Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You from those who rise up against them.
:8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me under the shadow of Your wings,
:9 from my deadly enemies who surround me.
:10 They have closed up their fat hearts; with their mouths they speak proudly.
:11 They have now surrounded us in our steps; they have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth,
:12 as a lion is eager to tear his prey, and like a young lion lurking in secret places.
:13 Arise, O Lord, confront him, cast him down; deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword,
:14 with Your hand from men, O Lord, from men of the world who have their portion in this life, and whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure. They are satisfied with children, and leave the rest of their possession for their babes.
:15 As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I wake in Your likeness.

It seems all David wanted was for someone to hear his side of the story. His only way to defend himself was to tell God on them. He asked God to be the judge. God could examine the hearts of all involved so there is no better judge for David to go to or for us to go to. Are we ready to completely open our hearts for God to examine? David prayed in faith that God would hear and would actively intervene on his behalf. When is the last time you prayed like that? If we keep our life honest and pure, enemies will rise up and try to pull us down. Don't take revenge. Tell God on them and then watch His justice at work. So many times we want to revenge ourselves and God won't honor that.

Christians will stand before the Judge too. We will not stand for condemnation because that was taken by Jesus on the cross. We will appear for an evaluation of our lives. What we have done with the resources and abilities entrusted to us will come under the intense inspection of Jesus. We will receive reward or lose reward based on His evaluation. If we are truly living our life for Jesus we shouldn't dread that day.

June 11, 2013

Ps 16:1 Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.
:2 O my soul, you have said to the Lord," You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from you."
:3 As for the saints who are on the earth, "They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight."
:4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god; their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, nor take up their names on my lips.
:5 O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot.
:6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good inheritance.
:7 I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
:8 I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
:9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope.
:10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
:11 You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

David ran from Saul for 10 years. Many times he was almost caught and killed. Possibly it was during one of these times he wrote this psalm. There wasn't anything he could do but cry to God for help. That's what we need to do during hard situations.

David was so confident of the Lord's protection that even the grave would not rob him of life in God's presence.

Rom 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Pr 23:18 There is surely a future hope in you, and your hope will not be cut off.

Be joyful in hope. Sometimes circumstances of our life make it difficult to be joyful. When you are searching for joy the best place to look is in hope.

Jn 14:27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

The Lord's peace is such an all-encompassing gift that it is independent of circumstances. Though you lose everything else, if we gain His peace we are rich indeed. That should comfort us especially going through things we have no control over. Sometimes during those times we feel unable to receive that peace. Maybe we are clinging to other things - people, possessions, our reputation, or what we feel are our rights.

June 10, 2013

Ps 15:1 Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?

:2 He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart;

:3 he who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;

:4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord; he who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

:5 he who does not put out his money at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

In this psalm David answers the question in verse one as though God were speaking. Here are a few key points to live a God-honoring life.

1.       Integrity – a blameless walk (upright or blameless don’t mean sinless; it means we handle sin correctly and quickly.

2.       Doing right – on our job, in our relationships, on the internet.

3.       Truthfulness – in all areas, including our income tax.

4.       Guarded words – we aren’t gossips or slanderers.

5.       Kindness – our neighbors speak well of us, so does our husband and children. After all, they see us as we really are.

6.       No put downs – of people we don’t like, of drivers who cut us off in traffic, of people of different opinions then us, even people with different political views.

7.       Discernment – we don’t hang out with evil people but keep close to people who honor God.

8.       Faithfulness – we keep our promises to others, to the bank, and to our spouses, even when it hurts.

9.       No greed – we lend and give generously.

10.   No corruption – our boss, spouse, pastor could watch us throughout the day and find nothing displeasing to them or to God.

Pretty heavy list isn’t it? Especially number 10. But think about it – Jesus is with us every moment. He sees and hears EVERYTHING all the time. How some of the things we say do, see must grieve Him.

I am not saying and neither was David that we are saved by doing good. I fail sometimes in those areas and so did David. But if we want to draw near to God, and stay there, we need to continually strive to live this way. We are not called to happiness first as Christians, but to holiness. How we act at church on Sunday, should be how we act wherever we are all week. When we live that way, we won’t be shaken.

James Boice said: “ No one has much trouble keeping his or her word when to do so is to the person’s own advantage. You would have to be unbalanced not to. But how about when the conditions have changed and the promise, agreement, or contract is no longer to your advantage? Do you honor your promise then? Do you fulfill the contract? Or do you try to find some way to get out of what you have committed yourself to? The psalmist says that God approves people who keep their promises even when it hurts them to do so.”

1 Thess 5:`17 Pray continually.

Ps 62:5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.

Rest in God. Give your mind a break from trying to figure out what will happen. Ask God to take charge of your day. When we try to figure out what lays ahead we ignore God. He  knows what’s coming. He is preparing you for whatever is ahead. Trust Him that whether it is good or bad, He will bring you through.

I really needed this reminder today. Lord, help me to rest in You. Knowing no matter what, You are in control.

June 8, 2013

Ps 14:1 The fool has said in his heart, “there is no God.” They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.

:2 The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

:3 They have all tuned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one.

:4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call on the Lord?

:5 There they are in great fear, for God is with the generation of the righteous.

:6 You shame the counsel of the poor, but the Lord is his refuge.

:7 Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord brings back the captivity of His people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.

Ask most people you come across, both in and out of church, if they believe in God and they will answer of course! But watch how they live. You will find a lot of people, even those who faithfully attend church, live as if there is no God, or that God has no significant place in their lives. Listen to their speech. Do they curse? Do they gossip? Where is God in that? We give Him an hour here and there, maybe even every day, but unless we are in the middle of reading about Him, or hearing about Him, we forget He is there. Left to ourselves we are all lost. But if we are saved, God is with us every moment of every day. How sad He must be at some of our words and actions. We all fall short of the glory of God. But we must be careful that when we repent of our actions, we truly mean it and strive hard to not repeat those actions. Sometimes that means cutting off friendships or at least distancing ourselves from people. It is difficult but sometimes necessary.

June 5, 2013

Ps 13:1 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?

:2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

:3 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

:4 Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”’ lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

:5 But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

:6 I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.

David had been dealing with the same thing over and over with King Saul. He was getting tired, frustrated and weary. Sound familiar? Have you been dealing with the same situation for a long time with no end in sight?

John Phillips said, “ When we are at our wit’s end, without resources, at a loss for a way, perplexed and desperate – that is usually where we see God begin to work. But before He does anything about our situation, He wants to do something about ourselves, and that is where we begin to hedge. We want God to deal with our complications; He wants to develop our character. We want Him to change our circumstances; He wants to change us first. That is why He allowed the circumstances. We cry: “Hurry up Lord!” He says, “It’s your move. I won’t move till you do.”

Is 26:4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the rock eternal.

Mt 11:28 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Pr 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;

It’s easy to trust God for a little while. But we have to learn to trust in Him all the time. Not only when the answer comes quickly. Or when we agree with the answer. He can bear our problems no matter how heavy. 

June 4, 2013

Ps 12:1 Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.

:2 They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

:3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things, 

:4 who have said, "with our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?"

:5 "For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise," says the Lord; "I will set him in the safety for which he years."

:6 The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

:7 You shall keep them, O Lord, You shall preserve them from this generation forever.

:8 The wicked prowl on every side, when vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

Verse 2 says speak idly. This is empty talk, empty of truth. Flattering lips is smooth talk, insincere praise. Double heart is deceptive talk, words meant to lead us on the wrong path.

Verse 3 says tongue that speaks proud things. This is big talk, showing off.

Verse 6 says the Lord is known for pure words, words purified seven times. Can we say that about all of our words?

Mother Teresa said, " All our words will be useless unless they come from within - words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness.

Which are we doing?

Is 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.

:3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for you ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. 

:4 Since you were precious in My sight, you have been honored, and I have loved you; therefore I will give men for you, and people for your life.

During emergencies or stressful times the best thing we can do is turn to God and remember He has this! Even though things look bad, He is in control. Seek His face. Find His peace.

Heb 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

2 Cor 4:18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Gaze at Jesus, glance at problems. Our tendency is to gaze at problems and glance at Jesus. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you when your focus becomes the problem instead of Jesus.