Cannot Lie

On August 5, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 89: 34

My covenant I will not violate, nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.

We have a covenant with God and He has made us promises. He has sworn on Himself, because there in nothing higher, holier or more sacred for Him to swear on, that He will not violate His promises to us. He cannot and will not alter one syllable that has ever come from His lips. If He has said it, He will make it so. You can bet on it. Imagine, if you will, someone who is completely incapable of lying. That is God. He lacks the ability to lie. Whatever He says becomes reality. It is truth. Therefore, whatever promises you find in our covenant, you can depend on them 100% because He has told you in this verse that He will not change one thing that He has said. Furthermore, you are invited by God to remind Him of His promises. He likes for you to have that level of confidence in Him that you are willing to hold His promise up to Him and claim it as your own.

You can have absolute confidence in the Word of God because it is the unalterable truth of the living God. Get out your Bible and dig around in there. Any promise you find, any utterance of God is yours for today because He cannot and will not change. All of the Old Testament promises are yours because the Old Covenant has been fulfilled in Jesus. All of the New Testament revelation is yours because Jesus established the new covenant in His blood. Any promise of God is yours for the taking. Fill your shopping cart with His promises.

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Yeah, but . . .

On July 29, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Hebrew 4: 2

For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.

This can be a disturbing verse when you consider it. It says that although a group of people had the Word preached to them, it profited them not. It is even more disturbing when you consider from whom they would likely have heard the preached Word. This was the new church and they were hearing the Word fresh from the people that walked with Jesus. Maybe they even heard Jesus himself. The writer of Hebrews heard the same Word preached that this other group of people heard but it did him much good and them no good. So, what was the difference? The writer of Hebrews tells us that the Word did not profit this other group because they did not mix their faith with it. What’s this? We have an important role to play in how much the Word of God is going to affect our lives, how much it is going to profit us?

This is really important for us to understand. We should never put ourselves under condemnation because there is no condemnation in Christ, but in order for the Word to profit us we must first believe it. How many times do we read the Bible or hear it preached and yet do not really believe it? We often have a “Yeah, but” response. Yeah, but that is the Old Testament, yeah, but that was the apostles, yeah, but that passed away with the early church. We can come up with a lot of reasons not to believe the Word of God as it has been told to us by God. It can be hard, but we have to make a decision to actually believe what is written there. Then we must add our faith to it in order for it to profit us. I am sorry to say that it is not enough just to hear the Word of God. You actually have to do something with it. You have to believe that it is true, that it is for you and then you have to have faith that it is going to work for you. Make a conscious decision to start reading and hearing the Word as if it was God speaking to you alone and to you directly. Hear it as if it was the first time. Let God’s Word to you penetrate your innermost being and then add your faith to it. Believe it is going to work for you and it will.

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Out of This World

On July 22, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 17:16

“They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Why should you be troubled with the problems of the world when you are not even part of this world? Above we see Jesus telling us that we are not of this world. Therefore, the problems of this world do not have power over us. Moreover, Jesus told us that He has overcome the world with its tribulation. Since He is already victorious and we have our life in Him, what then should be our standing with the world?

We are overcomers with Jesus. We should not bow and cave into the distresses of the world but rather stand against them. We are the defense that God has put here to stand against the forces of the enemy. We are supposed to be praying and standing on God’s word. We need to pray for the unsaved asking God to rescue them from the terrors of the world. We cannot very well stand up for the defenseless if we are victims to the schemes of the enemy. First, we must claim our own victory and not give ourselves over to the problems that the world is infested with. We’ve got to stand on the Word of God for our own deliverance and believe God that the enemy has already been defeated on our behalf. Then we can begin to stand up for the rest of the world. Dare to believe God and dare to believe His Word. You are the hope of the World in Christ Jesus.

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In Jesus

On July 15, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 16: 33

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

We are looking at this question of whether Christians should be beaten and downtrodden or if God has provided us some form of relief. We saw in Psalm 9: 9 – 10 that God has provided us a fortress of protection which we can trust and into which we can escape the trouble of the world. Today’s verse is a New Testament version of Psalm 9: 9. It is even better though.

In Psalm 9 you would have to run into the protection of the Lord. That protection is still available today. However, today’s Word is from Jesus, and he tells us that we don’t have to fear the day of trouble because He has already defeated the enemy. He has already overcome the world for us. Jesus teaches us that we can have peace even when the world is full of tribulation. Jesus knew about Psalm 9. He knew that our Father had already provided us protection from a world full of tribulation, but Jesus is the fulfillment of the law. He is that law and beyond. Therefore, we still have all of the promises of the Old Testament plus we have a new covenant based on better promises and sealed in the blood of Jesus rather than the blood of sheep and goats. Because of the shed blood of the perfect lamb, the enemy has no more power over us. The blood has covered us, and Jesus defeated the enemy one time for all. So, Jesus tells us that although the world is full of tribulation, we should have no cause for fear because He has already defeated the prince of this world. Jesus has told us these things so that we may live in peace rather than fear or worry. He said, “Take courage.” I would also say, “Trust”. How much better a promise is this? Rather than having to wait inside our fortress while God fights our foe for us, we can simply stand realizing that Jesus has already defeated Him. You still have all the promises of the past plus you have the fulfillment of them in Jesus, the Christ. Jesus said in the world you have tribulation but in Him you have peace. Call me simple but I think I will choose to be in Him.

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Trusting You

On July 8, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 9: 10

And those who know Thy name will put their trust in Thee; for Thou, O Lord, has not forsaken those who seek Thee.

I feel like naming every devotional lately “Good News.” I think it’s because I’ve been in a time of need and these verses have helped me get through a challenge. I particularly take comfort in the last phrase of this verse. I hope you do too.

Last week we looked at Psalm 9: 9 and found that God is an impregnable fortress in which we are completely safe in the day of trouble. This, the very next verse, shows us the relationship side of that fortress of protection. Imagine, if you will, that beautiful, wonderful castle that God built just for you. You are standing outside of it when you see Pharaoh’s army marching towards you. You turn and look at the castle, but instead of running towards it in relief, your heart becomes gripped with fear because you are not sure that it is really going to protect you against this danger. You fear that God really has forsaken you and that the castle is just going to crumble around you. I get it.

In real life we cannot see the fortress of God and may not have developed our trust in His protection. Therefore, in the day of trouble many of us either tremble with fear and worry or attempt to defeat the enemy with our own puny weaponry. When we have learned to trust Him, then we run into His fortress although in a sense it is a figurative fortress. The truth is that He really is a fortress, and you really can, in real life, run into His protection. You must first know Him, know beyond a doubt that He has not forsaken you and trust that He really will protect you. When you have that kind of trust, you really will be able to stand against the forces of the enemy completely safe and protected. You will watch as God defeats your foe, and you will have never even lifted a finger.

Those who know His name will put their trust in Him. His name is Yahweh. Now you know.

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Safe Place

On June 24, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 9: 9

The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

Sometimes we, as Christians, think that we have to be beaten up by the world. That could not be more misguided. Just look at this scripture. When the trouble times come, He becomes our stronghold. Now think of a stronghold. You may have a different image in mind, but I picture an impregnable castle. God is saying to us that even as we see trouble on the horizon, we retreat into the fortress and that trouble will never reach us.

Imagine yourself standing on the ramparts of your castle. Off in the distance you see the forces of Pharaoh marching towards you. Immediately you order the gates closed. No matter what Pharaoh brings against your fortress, nothing can harm it or penetrate it because it is the perfect fortification of God. God made it with His own hands, and nothing can get at you when you are within His protection.

This is the reality of God’s protection. He is that impregnable fortress. In the day of trouble you run into it and hide until God defeats your enemy. When you emerge, there is not even evidence that your enemy was ever there. God is your safe place into which you run and thereby avoid the intended onslaught of the enemy.

Is there trouble seeking you? Do you need a strong fortress today? Do this. Take a deep breath. Exhale until there is no air left in your lungs. Let the stress leave your body with the exhalation. Now, close your eyes and picture a stronghold. Keep that image in your mind as you begin to speak with God. See yourself enter in and feel the sense of security in your heart. You now have your own safe place you can run into any time you need.

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Blessed

On June 17, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 3: 8

Thy blessing be (is) upon Thy people.

God’s blessing is upon you right now. That’s great news, don’t you think? Imagine, If you will, standing before God and Him blessing you. Is that image a blessing to you? But, what is the blessing and what does it mean to have been blessed by God?

God’s blessing is an empowerment. What would you expect the result to be if you really stood before Him and received a blessing? It would be something grand, wouldn’t it? You would imagine that His blessing would endure also. It would never wear off. Don’t you think it would be imbued with power?

God put His blessing on you so that you would have power to meet every circumstance of life. The blessing empowers you to overcome all obstacles. God’s blessing causes you to succeed in every area of your life. If you are a child of God, then His blessing is on already on you. You don’t have to earn it. Further, knowing it is on you might change the way you think about your circumstances. Don’t expect to fail, expect to succeed. Expect favor on you. Expect His blessing to follow you everywhere you go and be sure to thank Him for it every morning.

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