Sunday, February 23,
2014, 8:26 am. – The Lord Jesus put the song “I Do Not Seal My Lips” in my mind when I awoke this morning.
Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Isaiah 41:8-20 (NIV).
The Lord’s Servant
“But
you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
you descendants of Abraham my friend,
I
took you from the ends of the earth,
from its farthest corners I called you.
I
said, ‘You are my servant’;
I have chosen you and have not rejected
you.
So
do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I
will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right
hand. Vv. 8-10
One of Satan’s greatest tools against those of us who are
followers of Jesus Christ is to get us to be afraid. Fear is the opposite of
trust. When we succumb to fear, we cease to trust Christ entirely with our
lives and with our circumstances, and then Satan has us right where he wants
us, in the palm of his hands, where he can work on our hearts and our minds in
trying to convince us that God is not able to handle what we are going through,
and/or that he is powerless to do anything about our life situations. And, then
fear begins to feed on our minds until we are consumed with worry instead of
placing our absolute faith and trust in our sovereign God who created us, and
who knows us, and who has a plan for our lives.
I can’t tell you the number of times such words as what we
read here in vv. 8-10 have encouraged my heart. They have comforted me so many
times when Satan was trying to sift me as wheat in this area of fear. I (and
all those who trust Christ Jesus) am chosen by God. I am his servant. I am the
Lord’s friend. I love that part! He called me to himself, and to his service,
to be free from slavery to sin (and fear), and to walk holy in his love and in
his righteousness, in faith. Although humans may reject me, he has not rejected
me. Amen! Because he loves me, and he made me, and he chose and called me, and
he saved me, he is with me always, so I never have cause to be afraid of
anything or anyone! He will strengthen me, help me, and he will support me
always with his mighty righteousness.
Enemy Defeated
“All
who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those
who oppose you
will be as nothing and perish.
Though
you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.
Those
who wage war against you
will be as nothing at all.
For
I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and
says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.
Do
not be afraid, you worm Jacob,
little Israel, do not fear,
for
I myself will help you,” declares the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
“See,
I will make you into a threshing sledge,
new and sharp, with many teeth.
You
will thresh the mountains and crush them,
and reduce the hills to chaff.
You
will winnow them, the wind will pick them up,
and a gale will blow them away.
But
you will rejoice in the Lord
and glory in the Holy One of Israel. Vv.
11-16
This is an awesome promise when we consider this in light of
what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross in defeating Satan and sin, thus
giving us the victory over both Satan and sin. We are more than conquerors
through him who loves us! Amen! We are no longer under the control of Satan. We
do not have to give in to him! Hallelujah! Jesus has given us the victory! We
can daily put on the armor of God which God has supplied to us (See Eph.
6:10-20), and we can stand strong against our enemy and defeat him in Christ’s
power within us. When Satan throws his lies at us, we get out the sword of the
Spirit, the word of truth, and we answer his lies and his accusations with the
truth of God’s word. We are ready and prepared at all times to share the gospel
of Jesus Christ. We remain strong in our faith through our trust in the Lord
Jesus and through bathing our minds and hearts with his word daily, both in
knowledge and in practice. And, we guard our hearts and minds against taking in
or dwelling upon what is spiritually unhealthy, immoral, fearful and/or evil.
Springs in the
Valleys
“The
poor and needy search for water,
but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.
But
I the Lord will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake
them.
I
will make rivers flow on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I
will turn the desert into pools of water,
and the parched ground into springs.
I
will put in the desert
the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and
the olive.
I
will set junipers in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress together,
so
that people may see and know,
may consider and understand,
that
the hand of the Lord has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it.
Vv. 17-20
A valley is a depression, sunken area, and/or a low point,
usually formed by erosion, i.e. by the gradual breakdown and weakening of something.
It is often a term used to describe difficult times in our lives, such as
trials, tribulations, loss and grief. These difficulties can sometimes wear us
down, and we can even begin to feel depressed, low emotionally, and/or even at
the point of breakdown and/or experiencing a feeling of despair or wanting to
give up. Yet, our God is right there always to encourage us to keep trusting
him. He is faithful. He will provide all that we need to endure to the end. We
just have to trust him. He will give us his joy, peace, a song, rest,
confidence and assurance even in the midst of some of the toughest things we
have ever had to face. We can always depend upon him. Amen!
I Do Not Seal My Lips
/ An Original Work / January 13, 2014
Based off Psalms 37,
40
Do not fear when evil
man
Has success in all
their plans,
For like grass they’ll
wither soon.
They’ll be cut off
from the land.
Trust in the Lord and
He’ll give you peace.
Find your delight in
Him through all stress.
All of your ways
commit unto Him.
All your desires from
Him He’ll fulfill.
Wait for the Lord;
keep His way.
Delight in His Word
always.
He’ll be with you to
the end;
Life eternal found in
Him.
I waited patiently for
my Lord.
He turned to me, and
He heard my cry.
He set my feet on the
Solid Rock.
He gave to me a firm
place to stand.
Blessed are we, who
trust the Lord,
Who do not turn to
false gods.
Our desire’s to do
God’s will.
His word is within our
hearts.
I will proclaim salvation
to man.
You put a new song now
in my mouth.
I’ll not withhold your
love and your grace.
I’ll speak forevermore
of your truth.
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