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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Freedom

On June 10, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 61: 1

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to prisoners.

He whom the Son has set free is free indeed (paraphrase John 8: 36). Today is about personal freedom, and, as you can see from today’s verse, it is at the root of Jesus’ ministry. In him you can be truly free from all injuries and circumstances which have plagued you or held you back from intimacy with God and others. You can be truly free in every aspect of your life. You can (and should) be free from every encumbrance, every bondage. You only need one thing. The Son.

Today’s passage declares Jesus’ anointing. It is the passage that He read in the temple when He began His ministry (Luke 4: 18). Jesus was anointed to deliver the good news of the gospel. Here we see to whom this good word is intended. It is for anyone who is in any way afflicted. Now I want you to realize that means that the good news of God’s healing and restorative power is for every single person because almost everyone is afflicted with something whether it be guilt, hurt feelings, bondage to anger, a bad habit, etc. The list goes on and on, but the message is this, God’s good news was sent to you. Furthermore, Jesus was anointed to deliver it to you.

He has come to heal the brokenhearted. Is that you? Did something happen to you in childhood that you have carried into adulthood and continue to allow to color your actions and reactions? Does it still affect your relationships with other people? I want you to know that Jesus has come to relieve you of that. Ok, you can pretend to be “strong” and “fine”, but you and God know the truth. Guess what, most people recognize the truth too, but perhaps you won’t seek another person’s help. Fine. Let God be your counselor. Let Him set you free. God anointed Jesus with just the right anointing for that purpose.

Do you see above that Jesus is anointed to proclaim liberty to captives? He obviously isn’t talking about prisoners because the next statement is regarding prisoners. Even then, anyone can be a prisoner to something. Sometimes the prisons with the bars are not the worst kind. I implore you to allow Jesus to liberate you, heal you and set you free. No matter what hinders you, give it to Him and let Him deal with it. Why do you want to hold onto junk? Let Him rid you of that junk once and for all. Be free in the Spirit of the glorious Lord, our Jesus.

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No Fear Here

On June 3, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

James 4: 8

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

This is a very simple little verse and easy to understand. You would have to do considerable work to complicate it. So, my question then is why are we not all very close to God?

I see two answers, one pretty obvious. The obvious answer is that we have not drawn near to Him. God will always let you be in charge of your relationship with Him. He is gentle and kind so He will never force himself on you. I have heard it said that each of us is just as close to God as we have chosen to be. That is pretty uncomfortable to hear but is probably true.

But some people do honestly seek God and still haven’t the closeness they wish to have with Him. So here is answer two. Many of us are afraid to allow anyone to get too close to us. We pull away from relationships that are close to the heart. We are afraid of exposing the tender parts of our hearts. So often we try to act tough. We act so strong, but to the wise these are screaming declarations that we are broken and scared. The stronger we pretend to be, the more the educated can see that we are really hiding our tenderness. Now, if we are afraid to let people close to us, how much harder is it for us to let God into the most tender and intimate chambers of ourselves? How are we to expose our hurts and injuries? Just allowing someone to see the fragility of who we really are is threatening enough but God can see clearly, and we know it. We can lie to people, but we cannot lie to God. He recognizes a lie and sees the truth. So, what ends up happening is that we seek God with our mouths, but our hearts remain closed, as do our ears.

Here is the good news of the gospel. God heals. He heals broken hearts and that is all that is keeping you from enjoying deep, intimate fellowship with Him. Isn’t that great news? God can fix all of this. Ok, you have to have a little bit of courage. Certainly, you have courage as big as a salt crystal. It doesn’t take very much. You don’t want to be afraid all your life and keep running away from your problems, do you? That is such a painful existence. If you can have courage even as much as a grain of sand, God can fix it all. And it is, honestly, a lot less painful than living the life that you are living now. I compare it to having a splinter in your foot. Are you really going to live with that splinter the rest of your life? It hurts all the time, every day yet God can remove it so easily. And you probably won’t even feel Him remove it. You are just afraid, but what you are afraid of is nothing. You are afraid of a hurt that you will probably never feel. If you do feel any pain at all, believe me, it is less than the hurt that you suffer every day and put your family and friends through. Also, any pain suffered with God healing you is so short lived as to not even be deemed significant. Just have a little tiny bit of courage and a little bit of trust and you can truly be set free. You will enjoy your life so much more and you can become intimate, close friends with God. If you will let Him in, He will be your constant companion and your best friend. That is a really great place to be, and you can have it.

I want that for you. I want you to have all that is your right. We can talk about being kings and queens in Christ but how many of us are living the life Jesus ordained for us? You are entitled to live in Yahweh’s presence. Draw near to Him. Be not afraid!

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Blessed Memorial Day

On May 27, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

On Memorial Day we honor those who have given their lives in service to our country. On this day we should also remember their friends and family who also made great sacrifices in the defense of our country. Our prayers go out to all of you who had a service person lose their life. We also offer our prayers for those who are serving in military service currently. May you all have a blessed Memorial Day.

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Anxiety to Peace

On May 20, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Philippians 4:6 – 7

Be anxious for nothing, 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 comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Today I’m just taking you along on a journey with me. I hope you don’t mind. This verse is where I’m living since my wrist injury. I have needed God’s peace, and this verse teaches us how to have it. Prayer, drawing near to the Lord, is the way to the peace of the Lord.

This verse is set up on two poles; one is in anxiety; the other is peace. They are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Today’s verse is intended to show us how to move from anxiety to peace. This peace is God’s peace. It is beyond any kind of peace we know in the natural. God’s peace is being calm and assured even in times and situations when it would seem impossible to be so. The situation around you, the circumstances might seem to call for anxiety and fretting, but in God’s peace you can still have confidence even in the worst of circumstances. Most of us would prefer to live in that kind of peace than in anxiety. Now we know how we can avail ourselves of divine peace. It is through prayer.

Prayer has more functions than just begging God to do something for us. In fact, at its base, the most important thing about prayer is simply communion with God. Prayer is spending time with God and time spent with God is good for the soul. It is healing and comfort, and because of that, it leads our hearts away from anxiety into perfect peace. Most of us do not pray enough. I hope today’s Word will be encouragement to spend more time in prayer. As I said, this isn’t just begging God to do something for us, so let us look at the elements of this kind of prayer.

Today’s verse tells us that there are three parts To this prayer. Part one is simple. It is the petition or more importantly the communion and communication with God. However, the peace of God comes with adding the two other components. The first is supplication. Supplication can best be defined as humility. As we lay our hearts and petitions before God, it is important that we humble ourselves. There are times we can make a demand off of a promise God has given us. This prayer, however, is one of humility. We are to humble ourselves before the Lord as we lay our petition at his feet.

Second, this prayer is to be accompanied by thanksgiving. Thanksgiving puts your heart in a state to receive. When you combine thanksgiving with humility, you’re able to receive the peace of God, the peace which surpasses human understanding.

This is not prayer without confidence, however. God does not require that you bow and kowtow. You may still pray, going into his throne room with confidence even as you enter with humility and thanksgiving. It is our knowledge of Him as a great and wonderful father that gives us confidence to enter into His throne room of grace. Humbly enter in. Lay your petitions at his feet. Give him praise and Thanksgiving for all that He is doing for you and will do for you. Believe confidently that you are about to receive the peace which surpasses understanding. Trade in your anxiety for the peace of God.

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