Do Not Be Afraid...

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?

~Psalm 27:1 ~

Trust in the Lord in all things and He Himself will be your strong tower in times of trouble. 

God's Will...or...Your Will?

How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how are you cut down to the ground, who did weaken the nations For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

~ Isaiah 14:12-14 ~

Five times Lucifer said ..."I will"

PRIDE

How many times per day do we say (not out loud but in our hearts), "I will" or in other words "No, I want to do it my way"

God says, "do no hate"...we say "No, they offended me, I will do it my way"

God says, "Spend time with me in prayer"...we say, "no, I want to watch T.V. I will do it my way"

God says, "Go talk to that person"...we say, "No, that would be uncomfortable, I will do it my way"

God says, "Go help that person"...we say, "No, that would inconvenience me, I will do it my way"

God says, "Be slow to speak & quick to listen"...we say, "No, I will do it my way"

Jesus said "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." Luke 22:42 And he said unto them, How is it that you sought me? knew you not that I must be about my Father's business? Luke 2:49 (Humility)

We see in Jesus that true humility is not just a reverence to God it is also obedience!
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Not my will...but Yours!

James 4:6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble...

Before you were even formed...

New International Version (©1984)
your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

 

New Living Translation (©2007)
You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed

 

Webster's Bible Translation
Thy eyes saw my substance, yet being imperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them

No matter how you look at it...God had a plan in place for your life before you were even born! More than that, God has every moment of your life planned out. If He knows the beginning and the end, if He not only sees it, but actually planned it, don't you think it would be wise to completely trust Him with your life?

 



God believes in You!

The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. ~ Psalm 25:14 ~

God, the creator of all things, the one who breathes life into every living creature, the one who sustains the heavens and the earth, who keeps the sun and the moon and the stars in place, this God...wants to share His plans with YOU!

 

The word confide though means much more than just share it literally means "to entrust; to commit to the charge of, with a belief in the fidelity of the person entrusted; to deliver into possession of another, with assurance of safe keeping, or good management; to believe in, with assurance"

 

In other words, if you will humble yourself before God showing proper fear and respect, He in turn will make His plans for salvation know to you, but more than that, He will give you all the details and secrets of His plan, trusting and believing in you to carry them out. God is trusting you to keep safe His promises, to guard them, and to follow them. He is GIVING YOU his covenant. (deliver into possession of another) Guard it with all your heart! 

Love People.



The KEY to Life...

Let's pretend you are in the desert with nothing around for a thousand miles but sand. You have a vehicle that has enough gas to get you out of the desert but you dropped the key and can't find it. Even if you had a trunk load of money, silver, and gold, it would be useless to you, and it's to far to walk, the only thing of any value is that key. How hard would you search for the key? What if the sand was a little hot, would that stop you? What if you were hungry, would that stop you? With no other way out, is there anything that would stop you from looking for that key with intense passion? If you found it how much would you love and treasure that key?

Psalm 119 is a love letter to God's Laws. The author realizes His only hope is found in God's laws, mercy, and grace. Nothing else matters, nothing else can help him. The key to survival, the key to real happiness, the key to life...is God's commands. God's laws are not meant to weigh us down, they are given to us to bring life. Now, we can start to understand some of the authors words.

 

"The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold...I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches...Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end... Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.... Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared. Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good. How I long for your precepts! Preserve my life in your righteousness"

 

Are you lost, alone, broken down, hurt, hungry, thirsty? Humble yourself, pray, seek God's face, praise Him in the morning, thank Him in the evening, and search out God's commands with all your heart that you might obey them and live

 

 



O' Lord, my comfort in suffering is Your promise...

Before I was afflicted I went astray. But now I obey your word. It was good for me to be afflicted. I know Lord, that Your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness You have afflicted me.

~ Psalm 119:67,71,75 ~

It would be an unloving parent that gave their child every desire of their heart and never disciplined them. It would also be an unloving parent that never allowed their child to fall when learning to walk. The child would grow to be helpless, needy, selfish, greedy, and prideful, everything God despises.

 

Proverbs 22:6 tells us,

 "Train a child in the way he should go,and when he is old he will not turn from  it"

 

Know that God allows you to go through things because He loves you!