Habakkuk 2

Then the Lord replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."

Sunday, February 23, 2014

No Fear!

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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