Battle Strategy

On July 8, 2019   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 59: 16 – 17

But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength; yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, for You have been my stronghold and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my strength, I will sing praises to You; for God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness.

You may need to read the beginning of this psalm to get the full thrust of these last two verses. The backstory is familiar. Saul was in relentless pursuit of David. Saul’s men surrounded, besieged and attacked David and his men. Day and night, there were spies, sneak attacks and ambushes. David tells of the trials and persecutions through the first fifteen verses. At the end he says, “but as for me . . ..” In these last two verses, David reveals his battle plan.

No matter what the enemy’s tactics were; regardless of being outnumbered, trapped or under siege, the battle plan David employed was praise and complete confidence in our Lord. David’s confidence wasn’t just something he held in his breast, though. His faith in the Father was boldly declared from his lips. That is one thing which distinguished him from every other. Perhaps other people thought God was a stronghold and deliverer, but David made a career of proclaiming it.

How about you? Are your words like David’s? Perhaps we too can turn the tide with our words. You know the end of the story. God removed Saul from the throne and installed David in his place. As I have studied David’s life, I noted his continual boasting in the Lord. I think his success was tied to his proclamation. While others count their soldiers and array their weaponry, David installed his stronghold. His plan involved the power of the Almighty, his strategy relying on the promises of his Lord.

It seems, then, that David didn’t have anything we don’t have. That is what makes his story so attractive. We can do what he did. We can love the Lord and trust in His prowess as David did and enjoy the same success. The strategy that prevailed for David will work for us too. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and soul. Lean on Him and His understanding. Make joyful praise to the Lord and let His power arise in your battles.

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Promises, Promises

On July 5, 2019   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Chronicles 1: 9

Now, O Lord God, Thy promise to my father David is fulfilled; for Thou has made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.

When God made that promise to David it probably seemed as impossible as any of the promises you have read in the Bible. Yet God was able to fulfill all He promised to David. David’s son Solomon bears witness to us that all has been fulfilled in his sight. In other words, we have an eye witness account that God did exactly what He said He would do.

The word “promise” in the above passage is even more accurately translated as “word.” That would make the sentence read, “Thy word to my father David is fulfilled.” I do not find it any coincidence that we call the Bible God’s “word.” To bring this verse forward to each of us, that would mean that God fulfills his word to you. That would include everything that He has said to you in His Word, the Bible. This is a very significant revelation. Just as God fulfilled His word to David, He is obligated to fulfill His word to you. You have an entire book of transcriptions of what God has said to you. Every word in God’s word is His obligation to you.

You should be encouraged, therefore. If God fulfilled His word to David, then He will fulfill His word to you because the Bible says that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10: 34). In other words, He does not favor one child over another. As a matter of fact, the NIV version of Acts 10: 34 says that “God does not show favoritism.” What He was willing to do for one, He is willing to do for all.

Now you put a demand on the promise given you. That is what faith does. Expect God to be good to his word. Expect Him to meet your every need; emotional, physical, financial and spiritual. After all, He is the one that promised. We are just holding Him to His “word.”

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Independence Day

On July 4, 2019   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Galatians 5: 1

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

I hope you have a wonderful Independence Day but even more, I pray you will never be subject again to a yoke of slavery.  There are all sorts of bondage, but Jesus set you free so that you would never have to be restrained by any of them.  Celebrate freedom but remember it was Jesus who set us free.

 

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Free from Pain

On July 3, 2019   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Corinthians 5: 17 – 18            TPT

Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new creation. All that is related to the old order has vanished. Behold, everything is fresh and new. And God has made all things new.

Most of the time when we think of this verse or talk about it, we refer to the sin nature of the old self. We think of when our habits were different, indeed our way of life was different. We’ve put away the drinking and partying. We’ve cleaned up our mouths. We have become kinder and gentler, thinking of others instead of just ourselves. Indeed, much about us and our lives has changed. Our “old man” is dead with its wicked ways and behold, we are made anew. I would like to think of this “new person” in a slightly different way today.

I was speaking with a friend today when she revealed that she had crashed on her bicycle when she was a child and so, to this day, doesn’t ride a bike. Before the day was out, someone else told me the same thing. There are incidents from the past that continue to dictate our present and determine our futures. However, we are new creatures. Can we bury the scars of the past with the “old self?” God said we are an entirely new creation so why should we bring that old person’s trauma with us?

These two individuals may have scars on their knees but many of us are similarly carrying around scars. Perhaps our aren’t visible but they continue to predict our present and future like those bicycle crashes did. When we died with Christ and were raised up in him, we were supposed to leave the scars and blemishes in the grave. We were supposed to bury the past with all its tragedy and restriction. The new creature in Christ is full of life.

This kind of freedom comes to those who can receive it. The key language seems to be in the first sentence of today’s passage, “If anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new creation.” So let’s ask ourselves, “Are we enfolded into Christ?” What does that look like? What is the difference between someone who is and one who isn’t? If we can answer that question, or truly, even just ponder it purposefully, I think we may open new doors to life.

The moral to today’s story is, don’t let the scars of the past, whether emotional, spiritual or physical hold you back today. Don’t allow yesterday’s crash and burn to keep you off the bike. There is new life in Christ Jesus, but you’ve got to do the work to put that junk in the grave and cover it up with six feet of dirt. Then, and here is the really hard part, don’t go dig it back up. There is true freedom awaiting you and a life worth living. It is right there within reach. Put fear in the grave with worry and bad memories. Receive healing and refreshing. Let the new you arise!

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Upholder

On July 2, 2019   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 41: 13

“For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand, who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’

Fear is pervasive. There is no one who has not been stung by its tentacles. Still, Father says we do not have to live with fear, nor should we. Because He is our Lord and God, much less Father, we have a means to overcome fear. He has promised He will never leave us forsaken. He will not leave us to our own abilities. He is bigger than that which frightens us.

Imagine having the genie of Aladdin’s lamp as your friend and helper. If the genie said to you, “Do not fear, I will help you” would it give you confidence? I think it would. We have lived with these fantasy stories until we have an understanding of the genie’s power. It is an amazing phenomenon. There is no such thing as a unicorn but each of you just pictured one when you read the word.

Unfortunately, we do not know Yahweh Father as well as we do these fictional characters. Still, you can use your understanding of a genie to interpolate God’s power. Just picture, for a moment, what it would look like to have God following you around all day upholding your right hand. Every time you encounter an obstacle or fearful situation, He says to you, “Don’t worry. I am right here. I will help you.” Can you actually see that in your mind’s eye? It is a comforting image, is it not? Now, what if you held that image in your mind all day? What about every day? Would it grow your confidence?

Our Father is trying to move into our lives and become our best friend. He wants to be a constant help in our lives but it can be difficult for us to connect with Him. That is where we need to spend our energy, connecting with Him. Then He scares away the monsters in our lives and energizes us for the journey. The time we spend reading our Bible, praying and even just contemplating God, helps us to draw nearer to Him. Then, because we are in Him, there is no fear. There is faith and comfort.

Let your Dad scare away whatever is fearful. Let Him guide you through the valley of the shadow of death so that you arrive on the other side unharmed and unafraid.

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Justice for All

On July 1, 2019   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 58: 1, 11

Justice—do you rulers know the meaning of the word? Do you judge the people fairly? No! You plot injustice in your hearts. You spread violence throughout the land.

Then at last everyone will say, “There truly is a reward for those who live for God; surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth.”

This is the first stanza and the last of Psalm 58. The first depicts life under human rule, the second reveals life in God. Sometimes it is frustrating living in a world ruled by man. Justice seems out of reach. Daily we hear of atrocities perpetuated by others, even by the rulers who are supposed to be the servants of and care for the people. It can deliver your heart into hopelessness. But, fear not, God’s ways will triumph and there will be justice for all.

There is reward for those who live for God. What does it mean to live for God, though? Is it something we truly do? Do we know how to? We live in a time when even within Christian circles we have become very enmeshed in the world. The worldly culture invades our Christian circles. Add to that the failing of traditional churches. Many people who identify as Christian do not attend church. The church ceased to meet people’s needs but the lack of congregating with other Christians has weakened us individually and as a group. We are, therefore, more influenced by the world culture that we live in everyday than by Christian culture. The outcome is that we may not know how to live for God. Where does He fit into our day to day life? What role does He have in my now?

To live in God’s justice and reward we must live for God. When He becomes the focus of our lives, life takes on a different complexion. That is not to say that you never have a problem. However, to the degree that we live in Him and to Him, we can avoid the sting of the world and its sense of justice.

God is a just God and a rewarder of His beloved. Don’t let the brokenness of the world system get you down. Look at the love of the Father. It is a much better view.

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God’s Will

On June 28, 2019   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 37: 4             NLT

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.

A friend of my emailed me this week, closing her message with “God’s will be done.” That is a heartening expression, is it not? What I heard in it was, “Not the world’s will but God’s will be done.” I am sending out a proposal and I believe it is God’s will so naturally, I want the people who must decide on the idea to follow God’s will. I don’t want them to bend to the world’s pressures, fear, ignorance or any other obstacle. So yeah, God’s will be done in this situation, as in all.

When I read her email, though, it did send me off thinking about something I have been pondering for a while and today’s verse captures the concept. God is willing to give me the desires of my heart because I take my delight in Him. I want you to see this verse from the Passion Translation too. It reads, “Make God the utmost delight and pleasure of your life, and he will provide for you what you desire the most.” This version clarifies what it means to “take delight in the Lord.” He should be the source of pleasure. He should bring smiles to our faces and we should want to be with him.

Now, I think I qualify for the first part of that verse. God is delightful to me. So, that takes me to the second part, He will give me the desires of my heart. So, I ask myself, whose will is this about, His or mine? This project is my desire. It is important that He approve but the truth today’s verse points out is that He is waiting for us to say something. He wants to know what I want, what my will is.

Of course, we all want to be in God’s will. I guess that goes without saying but it is important to note that He will give you the desires of your heart sometimes even when it is not His will. The Israelites wanted a king (1 Samuel 8: 5). It was not God’s will for them. Samuel warned them sternly about this path, but they insisted on being like the other nations and having a king, so, God told Samuel to, “Listen to their voice and appoint them a king,” (1 Samuel 8: 22). And so, Israel got a king. You might recognize his name. It was Saul. Eventually the kingdom was wrenched from Saul’s hands and given to David. Thus, what the people wanted did not serve them well, but God turned it around for them anyway.

The point I wish to make is that God is looking to you. He wants to know what your will is. It is not as though He did not counsel Israel about the wisdom of her choice. He does that. He will speak to your dreams and desires too but first you must communicate them to Him. That is how it works.

Too often we sit on our laurels waiting for God to do something or say something and He is looking to us to say something. “What do you want, children?” I love what my friend meant when she wrote about God’s will being done relative to my project. She had already agreed to pray for it, so her statement was like an exclamation point. Other times, though, I have sensed that people use that expression as an excuse to do nothing. There is another cute phrase I heard years ago when I lived in San Diego. It says, “God can’t steer a parked car.” That has always ministered to me. If we will start the engine, put the car in gear and begin on a determined course, our Father will act as navigator and direct our steps. Everything in the Bible tells us He will guide us. There is not theology or scripture, though, for sit in your recliner and wait for God to do something.

So, what is your will? What is your desire? What will bring you joy and fulfillment? Maybe your recliner needs an eject button. Stir yourself up. Of course, take it to Dad and let Him speak to your goals and embellish your ideas. He has great creative chops. He will bless the work of your hands and everything you set your hand to. So, start dreaming. Start thinking about what you would like to accomplish. It’s not ALL about His will. It’s not all about His desire. It just may be about the desire He has planted in your heart.

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