The Prowling Lion

On October 7, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Peter 5: 8

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

You have an adversary and he is named here. Do not be uninformed. There is an enemy out there and he comes only to steal, kill and destroy (John 10: 10). He will devour as many as will let him. Someone told me once that she did not believe there was any such thing as “evil” in the world. Well, she is susceptible to all of the snares of the wily one because she does not even acknowledge that there is an adversary. He can run around her life unchallenged. He can sneak around and plot all he wants because there is no lookout. I would rather trust the Apostle Peter’s knowledge and have my defenses built against foes. Be on your guard, be alert. Know that there is an enemy; prepare yourself by spending time in the word and with your heavenly father so that your defenses will be too much for the enemy. He will pass you by for easier targets because you are built up in your most holy faith (Jude 1: 20).

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Sentry Duty

On August 8, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 141: 3

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.

Yesterday’s Word was actually a teaching on spiritual warfare. It was about how to survive and even win the battles of life. I can’t leave you with yesterday’s teaching without giving you this verse too because they go so very much hand in hand. As you run into the presence of the Lord the very last thing you should do is explain the problem over and over to him. In truth, He already knows the problem. What He is looking for from you is trust and faith. So, the key thing you have to do is to guard your mouth. Now I know for myself that I don’t necessarily do a very good job of even that in my own strength so the first thing I do is to pray asking for help. Don’t make this hard. Just pray these exact words. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Write this verse on a 3 X 5 card so that you have it handy when you need it. Then just speak it to the Father.

You won’t be surprised, perhaps, to discover that David wrote this psalm in addition to the one from yesterday. (If you missed yesterday’s Word of the Day you can read it at www.iveyministries.blogspot.com) .  It seems to me that he learned that one of the first things you have to do in the day of trouble is shut your mouth.  

When we get upset it seems to loosen the cords that hold our mouth. The first thing that many of us want to do is to call someone and tell him how someone did us wrong. You may feel that if you don’t tell someone you will just explode. I know the feeling. That is why the first thing to do is to pray this verse. Honestly, God will help you. Then get out your Bible and read. Let God lead you into peace.

This is a trick of the devil and we really must stop playing by his playbook. His strategy is to get us upset or angry so that we let loose with our language. When we do that we actually give him building blocks that he can use to defeat us. In a sense we defeat ourselves because we provide the ammo that shoots us down. So, do yourself a big favor. The next time you get mad, someone does you wrong or some ugly problem jumps up in your face, set a sentry over your mouth. Get one of those big dudes to stand guard for you. Put this verse into action and then let the Lord lead you.

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Remedy for Trouble

On August 7, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 27: 4

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to meditate in His temple.

I have used this verse before but the Lord led me to it today and He showed me some new insights which I would like to share. First, though, let us look at the NIV version of it; “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” This psalm, not surprisingly, was written by David. As I read it today I reflected on all the trouble that David had to deal with. In order to really put this verse in perspective you should read the whole psalm or at least the verse before it and the verse after it. Both the preceding verse and the following verse reveal suffering and concerns of David. In the midst of those challenges, though, David focused on his Lord and God.

David experienced tribulation from every angle. His family was a clear thorn in his side. When we first learn about David his father has neglected to present him to the prophet Samuel who approached Jesse saying that one of his son’s would be king and that he, Samuel, had travelled there to anoint the chosen one. Then we see him at the battle lines with the Philistines. David’s brothers were serving in the army and his father sent him to deliver bread and grain to them. When David volunteered to fight Goliath the scripture records that his oldest brother became angry with him and insulted David. Later in life his own sons betrayed him, sought to kill him and take the throne. His wife hotly criticized him for his dancing before the Lord the day they brought the Ark to the city.

Then there is the whole conflict with Saul. David began his relationship with Saul when Saul asked that David be sent to him in order to play musical instruments and sing for him. David served Saul faithfully. He even refused to kill the tormenting Saul when on several occasions it appeared that God had delivered him into David’s hands. He was devoted to Saul but Saul persecuted him. Isn’t that the way of things?

All of these torments were by the people that loved David. Can you imagine how painful this was for David? And supposedly these were not even his foes but rather his friends, his family. But David had other trials too. First as a warrior and then as king David knew what it meant to have many enemies. There is no author who wrote about being surrounded by enemies as much as did David and there is no author who is more inspiring in his expressions of trusting the Lord through the trials.

Imagine yourself surrounded on every side by enemies and then add to that all of the betrayal by friends and family. That is the context in which David writes these inspired words. I believe that he is saying that the only way for him to survive this turmoil is to put his eyes fixedly on the Lord. David’s response to these attacks was to run into the presence of the Lord. In this context re-read today’s verse. Can you see that David learned that the only way to deal with the enemies and challenges of life is to dwell in the presence of God? I doubt that any of us has ever been under more intense pressure than was David and this is the way God taught him to not only survive all of the threats but to triumph. It is no accident, either, that no other Old Testament author speaks about the Holy Spirit as insightfully or as often as does David. He learned that the only way to deal with these kinds of overwhelming problems is to focus all of your life energy on the Lord. You cannot fight all of the battles. You could never have the strength. And you certainly cannot win. There is only one solution. Jesus! He is the way, the truth and the life. He is the breath that we breathe and the morning sun.

David survived impossible odds. Yes, he made some mistakes, even some big ones but I think you will find that the throne of David has been established and will endure forever and the reason why is because he knew who his strength was and he loved the Lord with all his heart.

This is, I believe, what David is teaching us. Don’t fight the battles. Don’t put your eyes on the enemy. Turn your face to God the Father. Let Him be your righteous sword, your unassailable champion. Even when it looks like the battle is lost and you are going down for the third time, keep your trust and faith in your Father. Do not waiver. Run into his presence, lock yourself in the sanctuary of your heart and behold your salvation.

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