Our Strength and Song

Psalm 95:1-2 NIV

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;

    let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before him with thanksgiving

    and extol him with music and song.

Let Us Sing!

I love to sing songs of worship and praise to my Lord. I love so many of the old hymns which give glory to God and which express the richness of Biblical truth. I like many of the contemporary Christian worship songs, too. And, I am blessed that the Lord has given me so many spiritual and scriptural songs to write, too, in worship of him and in giving glory to his name.

Music is a big part of my life. It always has been. Scripture put to music touches my heart. My Lord speaks to me through spiritual songs and hymns throughout the day. Sometimes, when something is on my heart, and even before I even express a prayer to the Lord, the Lord will place a song in my head, and as I listen to the words, I realize he is already counseling me in the way that I should go, or he is comforting my heart.

When I am sad, or feeling depressed, or when I am going through a trial or a difficulty, or when Satan is attacking me fiercely, if I lift my heart and my voice to my Lord in song it lifts me out of that emotional down, and it encourages my heart. It is part of my spiritual armor which I put on, too, to fight off Satan’s evil schemes against me.

Psalm 95:3-5 NIV

For the Lord is the great God,

    the great King above all gods.

In his hand are the depths of the earth,

    and the mountain peaks belong to him.

The sea is his, for he made it,

    and his hands formed the dry land.

God, Our Creator

I love to be out in nature and to enjoy the beauty of all that God created. Last night I was admiring the formations of the clouds in the sky, and I was in awe of God who created all of this. It brought tears to my eyes, in fact.

My husband and I are making it our practice to walk outdoors at least one time a day, and we usually go out at sunrise, so that is a beautiful time of day, when we see the sun come up. We live near the mountains, so we get to see some mountains in the distance, too. I love to take pictures of God’s creation. And, I get great enjoyment out of looking at all that God has made.

But, it is not the creation which I worship, but the God who created all of this. The trees, the sky, the clouds, the sun and moon, the flowers, the birds, bunnies and squirrels, etc., were all made by him. All of this is in his hands, and all belongs to him, and he is King over all that he has made, too. So, when I admire his creation, I am giving thanks to him, and my praise goes to him, too, for I see his greatness through his created works.

Psalm 95:6-7 NIV

Come, let us bow down in worship,

    let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;

for he is our God

    and we are the people of his pasture,

    the flock under his care.

Bow Down

To bow down and worship our God is not a formality, though. It is not a ritual, or a thing that we do on a specific day in the week, at a particular time of day, in a specified place. It is not a religious practice. It is a lifestyle.

For, to bow down in worship of our God means to humble ourselves before him in confession of sin, in recognition of our weaknesses, and in acknowledgment that through him, and through him alone can we have life to the full. It is to say to God, “I need you! I can’t make it without you! You are the air that I breathe, the sustenance of my life, the bread of my life. My dependency is in you, and in you alone.”

And, to worship God is to give our lives to him as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, for this is our acceptable worship of him (Rom. 12:1-2).

It is to lay our lives down on his altar and to die with Christ to sin so that we might live with Christ to righteousness. It is to be separate (unlike, different) from the world of sin, because we are being made into the likeness of Christ. And, it is to forsake our former way of living for sin and self, and the ways of this sinful world, so that we can walk in holiness unto our Lord.

Psalm 95:8-11 NIV

Today, if only you would hear his voice,

“Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,

    as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,

where your ancestors tested me;

    they tried me, though they had seen what I did.

For forty years I was angry with that generation;

    I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,

    and they have not known my ways.’

So I declared on oath in my anger,

    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”

A Warning to Heed

Even though we may now walk in holiness before our God, and take pleasure in Him and in worship of Him, and even though now we may have forsaken our sinful ways to walk in obedience to our Lord, it does not mean we can never fail. For, we still have the propensity to sin against God, and scripture warns us to take heed if we think we stand, lest we fall.

We must daily die to sin and self. Daily we must put on the armor of God with which to fight off Satan’s evil schemes against us. Daily we must, by the Spirit, be putting to death the fruitless deeds of darkness and exposing them for what they are. Daily we must throw off any hindrances to our walks of faith and anything which may weigh us down that might keep us from running our race of faith God has laid out for us, so that we can run with perseverance. And, daily we must guard our hearts against the evil one.

For, any one of us can slip and fall if we do not have on our spiritual armor and if we are giving way to the world of sin in our lives. We can’t play with fire, or we are likely to get burned. We can’t test fate, either. Especially if we have once battled in any particular sinful area, we must be so careful that we do not permit anything back into our lives that could lead us down that path again. We have to be smart, or stupid will be our downfall!

Too many people get careless and then they fall, and then they act surprised when they do. God has given us the way out – the escape – from temptation to sin. We just have to take the way out he provided for us, and we have to not get prideful and think we can handle situations which we have a history of not handling, but frequently giving into and failing. God gave us brains. We just have to use them! And, we must always put into practice that our Lord is our source of strength to help us in our battles. So, yield to HIM!

Total Praise / Richard Smallwood

…You are the source of my strength

You are the strength of my life

I lift my hands in total praise to You…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCjaUwEsMdQ

Friday, August 31, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus! Help us, Lord, to be wise, to be discerning, to not stray from you, and to make you our strength and song.

Sweet Fellowship

Ephesians 2:1-3 ESV

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Sinful Passions

When we, as humans, are born into this world, we are born with sin natures. We have the propensity to do what is evil. And, because we are sinful creatures, we are separated from our creator. We all fall short of attaining his divine approval. We all fall short of being able to live in his righteousness, because we are fallen creatures from birth. We are not alive in God, but we are considered dead in our trespasses and sins.

As sinful human beings, thus, we walked (lived) in that sin. This is not to say that everyone of us did really horrible things like commit murder or adultery or stole from others. But, the Bible does say that to hate is the same as murder, and that to lust after another is the same as to commit adultery, and stealing can be as simple as taking anything from someone else, without permission, what is not ours to take, like cheating on taxes, for example.

Satan (the devil) is the author of sin. Thus, when we are born into sin, we are under his power and control. So, we end up following him and his ways instead of following after God and His ways. And, we end up adopting the ways of this sinful world into our lives, too. Instead of following God, we follow the sinful passions (lusts) of our flesh, to do what it desires. And, the end result of living in sin is spiritual death and eternal separation from God.

Ephesians 2:4-7 ESV

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

God’s Mercy

But, thanks be to God, he did not leave us dead in our sins. Jesus Christ, God the Son, gave his life up for us on a cross so that we could be delivered from our slavery to sin, and so that we can now walk in his righteousness (See: 1 Pet. 2:24; Rom. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

Thus, by his grace to us, through our faith in him, we can be set free from our bondage to sin, be set free from the curse of sin, and now live in Him and Him in us. Now we can walk in his love and grace, and we can have wonderful fellowship with him.

But, this faith to believe in him is not an emotional decision or an intellectual assent to who he is and was, and to what he did for us in dying for our sins. This faith is divine persuasion as to God’s holiness and righteousness. Thus, if we are persuaded, then we will submit to God’s purposes and his will for our lives. We will die with him to sin and live with him to righteousness because we are fully convinced that this is why he gave his life up for us.

Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

It’s a Gift

For us to be saved from our sins, so that we no longer walk (live) in them, but that we now walk in God’s love and grace, Jesus Christ became the sacrifice for our sins. He who knew no sin became sin for us so that when he died, he put our sins to death. And, when he was resurrected from the dead, he rose victorious over sin, death, hell and Satan.

Because he died to sin, we, too, can die to sin, and because he lives, we can also live with him and in him and him in us, and walk in his righteousness. Sin no longer has to have mastery over our lives, for Jesus Christ set us free! Satan no longer has control over our lives, for Jesus conquered him in his death and in his resurrection. So, we can now live under the control of the Holy Spirit, instead.

But, if we are trying to do this in our own flesh, it will never happen. If we are trying to gain God’s or human approval, or if we are hoping to gain heaven by being good enough, it won’t happen. For, if we could, Jesus would not have had to die. We can only be saved by God’s grace, through our faith in him, which submits to his will, and which yields to his Lordship, and which dies with him to sin so that we can live with him to righteousness.

So, we can never be saved via our own human effort. We can’t conquer sinful habits via our own human effort, either. We may be able to break some habits in our own flesh and strength, but we can’t solve the sin problem ourselves. We can’t deliver ourselves from the curse of sin ourselves. Only by God’s grace, through faith in him, can this happen.

BUT… this does not mean that faith is absent of works and that we do nothing now that Jesus set us free. For, we were made new creatures in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared for us to do, and which he empowers us to do, for we are his workmanship. We were made for obedience and submission and surrender to God, not so that we can continue in our sinful addictions without guilt or remorse.

Yes, God’s grace to us is a gift, but it is a gift we must appropriate to our lives. And, the gift is not just an escape from hell and the promise of heaven when we die. The gift is freedom from our chains to sin, and freedom to now walk in his Spirit, in holiness and righteousness, living godly lives pleasing to our Lord, allowing God to work his will in and through our lives for his purposes, and for his glory and praise (See: Tit. 2:11-14).

Ephesians 2:19-22 ESV

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Built Together

When we believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, not only are we set free from sin, and we now have a relationship with Almighty God, but we also become members of the family of God with the rest of the saints of God (See: Acts 26:16-18). We are not only in God and Him in us, but we are his body, his holy temple, his church, and we are one with each other.

We not only have a birth family from which we came, but we now have a spiritual family comprised of our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, our Lord. We, the family of God, make up the church. And, the church is us, the people, not a building or a denomination or a specific location or an institution of men or a corporation under the federal government.

Not only do we now have wonderful fellowship with our Lord, but we can enjoy sweet spiritual fellowship with other believers in Jesus Christ who are like-minded in faith with us and with our Lord. For, we each have a part in this body that we are to fulfill, and which is for the encouragement and strengthening of the other parts. And, when that works like it is supposed to, it is wonderful!

But, we all have to be following our Lord Jesus in surrender to him, listening to what he tells us, and doing what he says to do. If any of us are still walking in the ways of the flesh, that breaks that fellowship, for this fellowship is not man-made, but is of the Spirit of God. And, when we fellowship with one another in the Spirit, that is glorious!!

Songs in the Night 

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

https://vimeo.com/112342407

Thursday, August 30, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus, for the sweet fellowship we can have with you and with one another because of your sacrifice for us on that cross in delivering us from our slavery to sin. Amen!

Broken Cord

Last night I sat down with paper, pencil and my Bible, and I inquired of the Lord if he would be pleased to give me a song to write. I had not written any for about 2 years, for I did not have the space needed in order to do that. But, now that he has blessed me with that space, I asked him for a song.

As I was talking with the Lord concerning what this song should look like, and he was talking with me, I all of a sudden blurted out, “But, I don’t want an arpeggio.”

Now, I had studied music 50 years ago, so I should know what an arpeggio is, and I had a pretty good idea, but that was a long time ago, so I looked it up. What I learned was that an arpeggio is a “broken chord.” But, what the Lord was leading me towards was a “broken cord,” and they paralleled each other.

Music is written in various keys, such as C, D, G, etc. The key of C requires no sharps or flats, but the key of G has one sharp, and the key of F has one flat, etc. A music scale consists of 8 notes. So, in the key of C, for example, the scale would be C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. So, a C chord would be C, E, G all played at the same time. An arpeggio in the key of C, though, would be C, E, G or C, E, G, C, but played one note at a time. This is called a “broken chord.” For, they are not played in harmony with each other, but separately.

So, then I began to break down the definition of “Arpeggio” word by word, and I began to see the spiritual parallel with a “broken cord.” For, an arpeggio (broken chord) is broken, which is fractured, not in good working order, not functioning properly, for it is not in unity. The bond is broken.

But, an arpeggio (broken chord) is the sounding of the notes of a chord separate from one another. As Christians, our cord is our bond with our Lord Jesus Christ, our relationship with him, which is supposed to be in harmony (unity) with him. When that cord is broken, the fellowship between us and our Lord is also broken.

So, what I saw in this is that it had to do with the sounding (speech) of the notes (testimony) of the cord (moral, spiritual or emotional bond) being separate from the cord, not in unity, broken (not functioning properly). In other words, this is about the testimony of “believers” being separate from the cord, broken away from the cord (covenant bond). This is about giving false testimony to a relationship with Jesus Christ that is not true, for it is a broken relationship, not in unity with Jesus Christ at all.

And, then I thought back to what I had blurted out, which was “But, I don’t want an arpeggio.” I believe this is the Lord speaking, and he is saying that he does not want us to give testimony that is not in unity with the cord (the bond of our relationship with him), and he does not want us living separately from that cord, either. Not only does he want us in unity with him and with our bond (covenant relationship), but he also wants us giving testimony consistent with that bond, i.e. he does not want us to be hypocritical.

Interestingly enough, he did have me write the music with one arpeggio after another after another, for it fit with the words to this song.

Broken Cord

An Original Work / August 29, 2018

Your bond is broken

With your Lord and Savior

And, your testimony is

Separate from Him.

Your words not matching

Your actions today.

Repent of your sin and

Bow down and pray.

Live what you testify

In truth always.

Purity’s lacking in

Your life and witness,

For you profess one thing,

But other you do.

Not moral, spiritual.

Still of the flesh.

Not living in truth to

What you confess.

Lying about it

Puts you in a mess.

Living a lie is your practice,

‘tis true of you.

Masquerade righteousness –

None of it true.

Your heart is not given

To your Lord God.

Because of how you live,

You are a fraud.

Turn from your sin and

Give your life to God.

https://vimeo.com/287303934

Walk with Him

John 6:35, 47-51 ESV

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

The Bread

We, who are Christians, serve a triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – three distinct persons in one being. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, yet he is also God the Son. For, not only was he with God in the beginning, but he is God. He is our creator God, for through him all things were made which were made (See: John 1).

Jesus, although he was God, left his throne in heaven, came to earth, took on human flesh, suffered as we suffer, and was tempted in like manner as we are also tempted, yet without sin. While he walked the face of this earth he was fully God yet fully man. He was the promised Messiah (the Christ) of then God’s people, and yet most of them rejected him as their Messiah.

Jesus Christ is The Way, The Truth and The Life. No one comes to the Father except through him. He is the Light which shines in the darkness, which gives light and life to humankind. He is the living Word of God and he is the bread of life who has given his life for us that we might live with him for eternity, and that we may walk in victory over sin while we still live on this earth.

John 6:52-59 ESV

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

Feed on Him

Jesus is the Bread of Life in a spiritual or a figurative sense, not in a literal sense. To eat of his flesh and to drink of his blood is also not literal, but figurative. He is not physical bread, but spiritual bread which gives life to all who partake of him. And, to partake of him in this sense is to participate with him in his death to sin and in his resurrection to life by us dying with him to sin and living with him to righteousness, empowered by the Holy Spirit now living within those of us who believe (See: 1 Pet. 2:24).

Our flesh hungers after many things which will never satisfy the deep longings of our souls and which will not ever breathe the breath of life into us for eternity, but often will leave us empty, always craving for more. But, when we partake with Jesus in his death to sin and in his resurrection to new life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness, then we will be satisfied. We will then find our fulfillment in him alone.

To feed on Jesus is to feed on his Word, not just intellectually, but to take his Word into our lives and to apply it to our life’s circumstances. It is to walk in obedience to our Lord and to his Word. It is, too, to walk as Jesus did in humility, in submission to the Father, in truth, in integrity, in purity and in holiness, as God gives us strength and power to overcome the world and to walk by his Spirit and no longer according to our sinful flesh.

John 6:60-65 ESV

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

A Hard Saying

Many people these days are teaching a false grace gospel which leaves out the cross of Christ in our lives, and which does not require that we eat of Jesus’ flesh and drink of his blood. They require no death to sin and no living to righteousness, but they reduce the gospel of our salvation to merely an acknowledgment of Jesus, and an acceptance of his death for our sins, as though our salvation is merely forgiveness of sins and the promise of heaven when we die. But, if that were true, this would then not be a “hard saying.”

But, it is hard, because our salvation is not just a free ride to heaven while we live like hell on this earth. Our salvation does not pacify our flesh. It puts it to death! It does not merely forgive our sins, but it eradicates sinful practices from our lives, so that we no longer walk in sin but now in the Spirit and in holiness and righteousness.

The whole purpose of God’s grace to us is so that we may say “No!” to ungodliness and worldly (fleshly) passions (lusts) and live godly, upright and self-controlled lives while we await our Lord’s return (Tit. 2:11-14). Jesus died, not just to forgive us our sins, but to transform us, and to conform us to his likeness. This is what it means to eat of him, to become like him in his death and in his resurrection in living in victory over sin and in the Spirit.

John 6:66-71 ESV

After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

We Have Believed

Many people today are following the wrong gospel and a false Jesus, because they have bought into the lies which say God requires nothing of us other than to “believe,” which is rarely ever explained. But, biblical belief is divine persuasion, and if persuaded by God as to his plan for our lives, then we will walk in his ways and in his truth, and we won’t look for an escape clause that allows us to still walk in sin while claiming heaven as our home.

True belief in Jesus is an acceptance, not only of his death on a cross for our sins, but of the necessity of us dying with him to sin so that we might live with him for eternity. That is why scripture teaches that the way of salvation is the way of the cross, which is a narrow road which few travel. And, it says that the broad road, which is traveled by the majority, does not lead to heaven but to destruction. And, that is the way of the flesh, not the Spirit.

So, to believe in Jesus Christ is not just an escape from hell and the promise of heaven. Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily and follow (obey) him. He said if we hold on to our old lives (of living for sin and self) we will lose them for eternity. But, if we lose our lives (die with him to sin) for his sake, then we will gain eternal life with him (See: Lu. 9:23-25; cf. Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24).

So, to believe in Jesus is to walk with him, by his Spirit, free from the control of sin over our lives and in his holiness. It is daily dying to sin and self and daily submitting ourselves to our Lord to follow him in his ways and in his truth. It is accepting the “hard saying” instead of rejecting it, that to be in fellowship with our Lord, and to partake in him, means living a crucified life, a life yielded to the control of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Just a Closer Walk with Thee  

Hymn lyrics by Anonymous/Unknown

Music by American Melody

“For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you” (2 Co. 13:4 NASB).

I am weak, but Thou art strong;

Jesus, keep me from all wrong;

I’ll be satisfied as long

As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Through this world of toil and snares,

If I falter, Lord, who cares?

Who with me my burden shares?

None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

Just a closer walk with Thee,

Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,

Daily walking close to Thee,

Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

*copyright status is public domain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6Ks49apflE

Tuesday, August 28, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus, that you died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness! Amen!

Earnestly Seek Him

Isaiah 26:1-6 ESV

In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

“We have a strong city;

    he sets up salvation

    as walls and bulwarks.

Open the gates,

    that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.

You keep him in perfect peace

    whose mind is stayed on you,

    because he trusts in you.

Trust in the Lord forever,

    for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

For he has humbled

    the inhabitants of the height,

    the lofty city.

He lays it low, lays it low to the ground,

    casts it to the dust.

The foot tramples it,

    the feet of the poor,

    the steps of the needy.”

In That Day

“That day” is a reference both to a time of judgment and a time of salvation. There is a time of judgment which will come at the end of time in which God will decide who gets in his heaven and who does not, but that is not what this is referring to.

There will also be a time of judgment near the end of time, called the Tribulation, which could be a literal seven years, or it could be figurative, as numbers in Revelation are not all literal. And, this could be a reference to that time.

Yet, God judges nations and peoples and his church throughout our time on this earth when such judgment is necessary in order to stop the wicked or to revive his people, or to turn people’s hearts to the Lord.

I believe God is in the process of judging many nations at this time, and through this time of judgment people’s hearts are being turned to the Lord Jesus, and the church, in some locations, is being revived.

And, I do believe this is coming to America, and that when it comes, that many will turn their hearts to faith in Jesus Christ, and the church here will be revived, too.

So, when God pours out his judgments, we who are in Christ Jesus, by faith in him, should not be shaken by it. For, we were forewarned that these days would come. But, we should look to our Lord to be our strength and our support in times of trouble and distress.

For, our salvation is our protection against evil, and our Lord will carry us through every difficulty that will come our way. And, he will keep in perfect peace those of us who keep our minds steadfast on him and on his Word.

Isaiah 26:7-15 ESV

The path of the righteous is level;

    you make level the way of the righteous.

In the path of your judgments,

    O Lord, we wait for you;

your name and remembrance

    are the desire of our soul.

My soul yearns for you in the night;

    my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.

For when your judgments are in the earth,

    the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

If favor is shown to the wicked,

    he does not learn righteousness;

in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly

    and does not see the majesty of the Lord.

O Lord, your hand is lifted up,

    but they do not see it.

Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed.

    Let the fire for your adversaries consume them.

O Lord, you will ordain peace for us,

    for you have indeed done for us all our works.

O Lord our God,

    other lords besides you have ruled over us,

    but your name alone we bring to remembrance.

They are dead, they will not live;

    they are shades, they will not arise;

to that end you have visited them with destruction

    and wiped out all remembrance of them.

But you have increased the nation, O Lord,

    you have increased the nation; you are glorified;

    you have enlarged all the borders of the land.

Path of the Righteous

Jesus Christ promised us that if we follow him with our lives that we will be hated, persecuted, mistreated, falsely accused and even put to death for our faith in him and for our testimonies for his salvation from sin. So, it should not surprise us when these things take place, but we should rejoice that we are counted worthy to suffer for the sake of His Name.

We are also promised in scripture that we will go through hardships, difficulties, and distresses, for God uses these in our lives to mature us in him, to prune us, and to purify us and make us holy, and to conform us to his likeness. He said that those he loves he disciplines (rebukes, chastises) in order that we may share in his holiness and bear spiritual fruit of righteousness for his eternal kingdom.

He takes us through trials and tribulations which try our faith, so that our faith may be proved genuine, and so that we will walk righteously before him. For, when we go through these tough times it moves us to call on him in faith, and to turn from our sins, and to walk in obedience to his commands. Hard times or persecutions often move us to yearn for God and to earnestly seek him, and to desire him above all else, too.

We, who are committed to our Lord, learn righteousness through the things which we suffer. But, many who have life too easy, and who have not had to suffer much, may not see their need of the Lord, and so they think in their hearts that God does not see, or that he does not care, or that he will do nothing, and so they continue in their wicked ways. But, one day it will catch up with them. One day they will face judgment.

So, we should be in prayer for those whose ways are not upright, and this is not speaking just of those who make no profession of faith in Jesus Christ. For, there are many who profess the name of Jesus, and who call themselves Christians, who are dealing corruptly, and who are walking in the ways of unrighteousness and impurity. So, we should pray for them, too, that their eyes will be open, that they will be ashamed of their evil deeds, and that they will turn their hearts to Jesus.

At one time we all followed the way of the flesh and we allowed other things or people to be our gods instead of God being our only Lord. But, when Jesus set us free from our slavery to sin, he freed us from the power of Satan and from our idolatry, too, so that we could serve him as our only Lord. We just have to walk in the freedom which he has given to us.

Isaiah 26:20-21 ESV

Come, my people, enter your chambers,

    and shut your doors behind you;

hide yourselves for a little while

    until the fury has passed by.

For behold, the Lord is coming out from his place

    to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity,

and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it,

    and will no more cover its slain.

Enter Your Chambers

When we trust Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, his Holy Spirit comes to live within us (God within us). We then become the temple of God, his body, his church. No longer do we have to go to a physical building on a particular day in the week in order to worship our Lord or to be in fellowship with him and his body. No longer is the sanctuary of God in a physical building, but we are that building, made up of living stones.

So, to enter our chambers is to enter into fellowship with our Lord through prayer, Bible study, praise and worship of him in our quiet times with him. This can be done individually or collectively, i.e. we can meet with and fellowship with and minister within the body of Christ any day of the week at any location at any hour of the day or night, whether in person or on the internet. I find great fellowship with the body of Christ on the internet.

So, when these tough times comes, which they have, and which they will, we need to enter into those times of fellowship with Jesus Christ and with his body, and be strengthened and encouraged in the Lord Jesus to fight the good fight of faith, and to be strong and courageous, and to persevere, and to put on that armor of God with which to fight off Satan’s evil schemes (tricks) against us.

During these times when God pours out his judgments, many of us will lose income, homes, and possessions. Many have already gone through this. But, love of possessions should not be our hallmark.

It is not wrong to have possessions, though, for God does often bless his people with worldly goods to be used for his purposes and for his glory, and in order to meet their needs. But, we should not worship the provisions, but we should worship the God who provides, and say with Job, “He gives and he takes away. Blessed by the name of the Lord!”

For, Jesus Christ should be our prized possession, as should be his salvation. And, our hope, joy, faith, and security should be in him, and in him alone.

More Precious Than Silver 

Lynn DeShazo

Lord, You are more precious than silver.

Lord, You are more costly than gold.

Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds,

And nothing I desire compares to You.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKmlrlzTHXY

Monday, August 27, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus, for this wonderful lesson from your word. I pray that all of us will take this to heart and that we will guard our hearts against the things of this world being our gods, but that we should make you our only God, and the one who satisfies our deep longings.

As God Assigns

Romans 12:3 ESV

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

With Sober Judgment

I think sometimes that people assign to the Lord’s servants attitudes, motives or personality traits that are not theirs. And, that is because they are judging them by human standards rather than by the Word of God. Human psychology has so replaced the working of the Holy Spirit in so many lives, that many of the Lord’s servants, I would suspect, are being misunderstood.

For, you see, if a believer in Jesus Christ is truly following the Lord Jesus in surrender to his will for his or her life, it is the Lord who will equip him or her for service, and it is the Lord who will assign to him or to her the ministry, the task, and the role within the body of Christ that God had destined for him or for her to fill even before the creation of the world.

Yet, I believe this is a difficult concept even for many Christians to understand, because we were programmed to think within the confines of institutional religion. We were programmed to think that gifts and ministries are assigned by church leaders and that they should fit in within the confines of denominational preferences, and should be based on human talent.

But, when we trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, his Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us, to equip, gift, empower, strengthen, encourage, lead, and guide us in the way He would have us go. The Spirit gives us the gifts, not us or any other human. And, God assigns what roles we are to fulfill within his body, which may or may not fit with assigned ministries within institutional religion.

So, if we are operating in the power of the Holy Spirit within us, using the gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit, fulfilling the roles God has assigned us within the body of Christ, then not one of us should ever take credit for what God does through us. All the glory should go to God.

In the same respect, if a brother or a sister in Christ is operating in the power of the Holy Spirit within them, using the gifts given them by the Holy Spirit, fulfilling the roles God has assigned them within the body of Christ, if what they are doing is consistent with God’s Word, then we should not assign to them motives, attitudes or personality traits that are not theirs.

For, all we have to do is read through the Bible to see how many of God’s servants and messengers were judged falsely, were misunderstood, and were criticized even by those within their own faith because they were obeying the Lord in doing what he assigned them to do. And, Jesus is a prime example of one who had this done to him.

Jeremiah also comes to mind here, for he was assigned the task of giving out hard messages. God assigned him with the task of pointing out God’s people’s sins, calling them to repentance, and warning them of divine judgment if they did not repent.

But, this was not because Jeremiah liked saying these things. He knew he would be hated and rejected and that people would beat up on him because of what he said. He knew they would mock him in the streets. But, he did what the Lord assigned him to do because he loved God, and because he loved the people of God, and for no other reason.

So, not only should we, who are the Lord’s, not think of ourselves more highly than we ought, but we must also be very careful to not judge our brothers and sisters in Christ by human standards.

This is not saying that we should never judge, for we are to judge sin, and we are to judge false teaching within the church. But, just because a brother or sister in Christ is in a ministry which doesn’t fit with our human thinking, because it doesn’t fit with our institutional religion mindset, we must be very careful that we don’t judge them as doing what they do in the flesh. For, they may very well be doing exactly what God has assigned them, and which may be very necessary to the spiritual growth and maturity of Christ’s body.

Romans 12:4-5 ESV

For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.  

One Body in Christ

We should never be jealous of another believer and his or her gifts or ministry, wishing that could be us. And, we should never resent another believer’s gifts and ministries just because they don’t fit in with our human mindset, for we are all parts of the body of Christ, and we are all necessary.

Not one of us is better than another. We just have different gifts and functions within the body of Christ, which our Lord assigned. And, just because someone’s role and gifting may be like a modern-day Jeremiah, we should not judge them as being self-righteous or superior or judgmental. For, if they are truly following the Lord Jesus and his leading, they do what they do out of love for God and for his church. And, they do so fully aware that they will be misjudged, hated, rejected and even mocked, in return.

There is a philosophy which is being spread throughout today’s modern church that Jesus Christ just went around doing good to everyone, and he was nice and sweet and that everyone loved him. Not true!

Yes, Jesus is loving and kind, full of mercy and compassion, but he spoke the truth in love, and it was hard truths, too, and he did not mince words. He didn’t go around patting people on the back, whispering sweet nothings in their ears, so that they would feel good about themselves, even in their sins. He told it like it is. He was kind. He was loving. But, he got right to the heart of the matter every time.

So, let’s be careful that we don’t shut out parts of the body of Christ, who are necessary parts, just because they don’t fit with our preconceived notions of what these body parts or gifts should look like. For, we must use Jesus Christ as our model here, for we are to be like him. But, it should be a true model of who he was and is, based on the whole of scripture, and not on select verses or on man’s notions of who Jesus was and is.

Remember that Jesus drove out the money-changers (the merchants) out of God’s temple with a whip. So, if some of God’s servants today speak strongly against false teachers within the church, or against the church turning their gatherings into a marketplace, we should not be appalled at their strength of speech.

For, we need these servants of the Lord. The church needs these servants of the Lord. They are necessary parts of the body for the building up of the body of Christ to maturity in Christ. For, they see as God sees, and they are listening to the Lord, and their heart cry is that of Jesus such as he had when he drove those money-changers out and told them that God’s house is to be a house of prayer.

We need these parts of the body of Christ just as much as we need all the other parts, for we need those who will say to the liars and thieves “Get out!”

Romans 12:6-8 ESV

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Let Us Use Them!

So, not matter what gifts God has given you within the body of Christ, and no matter what role he has assigned to you, if it is from him, then do it without fear of what humans will think of you, and do it for the glory of God.

We are not going to be all the same. We were not made to be minions. We were all uniquely designed by God for very specific purposes. Our gifts and our callings will not all be the same. They will not all be of the same type even. So, we should never compare ourselves to others or let others’ opinions of us keep us from obeying our Lord, either.

I know that, within the body of Christ, that often the gifts of mercy, helps, service, giving, leading, faith, healing and teaching are raised up and are given high honor. But, if someone has the gift of prophecy (not fortune telling) and/or exhortation, then those are often treated with scorn.

Let me say here that I believe the gift of prophecy today is primarily that of sharing the Word of God in a very practical way which is applicable to our lives and world today. It is of the Spirit, not of the mind of humans, and it involves speaking God’s messages to the church today for the purpose of confronting sin, calling people to repentance, warning of judgment, and promising hope, healing and restoration to the penitent (contrite).

It also involves exposing the fruitless deeds of darkness, warning against false teaching and false teachers, and calling the church to come out from the world and out from intimacy with the ungodly. It is a call to holiness and godly living, and a call to leave our lives of sin behind us so that we can walk with our Lord in purity, faithfulness, and sincerity.

So, whatever gifts God has given you, and whatever role he has assigned you, do it for the glory of God in the power of God’s Spirit within you. And, if your gift and calling is not honored, and is even dishonored, don’t let that keep you from obeying the Lord. Keep on speaking out for the Lord his truths from His Word. Keep doing what he has called you to do, and leave the results in God’s hands. Make Jesus your heart’s desire and follow Him.

As the Deer / Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

 So my soul longeth after You

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

 To You alone may my spirit yield…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

Sunday, August 26, 2018, 9:39 p.m. – Help us, Lord, to be faithful to you in fulfilling the roles you have assigned us within Your body without fear.

Overcome Evil with Good

Romans 12:1-2 ESV

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Living Sacrifices

Because of what Jesus Christ did for us in dying on a cross for our sins, so that we can be delivered from our slavery to sin, and so we can walk in his righteousness, we should honor him with our lives.

And, this is not about doing things here and there for the Lord, or getting involved in church ministry, per se. But, this is about giving him our whole lives as living sacrifices to him, to be used of Him for his purposes and for his glory. This is about total surrender, holding nothing back from God. For, this is our acceptable worship of him, which is pleasing in his sight.

This means that we are no longer the boss of our lives. He is! We are no longer the ones calling all the shots. He is! He is the one determining our steps, not us. So, we surrender every day to his will, and we inquire of him as to what he wants of us in thought, word and deed. And, then we do it.

But, in order to be totally surrendered to our Lord, we must first of all die with him to sin. We must no longer walk in the ways of the world and of the flesh, but we must now walk according to the Spirit of God, in holiness, purity, honesty and in righteousness.

Therefore, we should be set apart (unlike, different) from the world because we are being made into the likeness of Christ. No longer should we do what our flesh dictates or what the world does, nor should we think like the world and have the same attitudes and philosophies and values as they do.

Our lives should be mirror images of Christ. We should now have his mind about things, and have his love for others. We should no longer be given over to the flesh, but now to the Spirit of God. Our lives should no longer reflect the world, but Christ.

For, this is why Jesus died, not just to save us from our sins, but to transform us in heart and mind away from sin to living for him and for his righteousness.

Romans 12:9-13 ESV

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Genuine Love

This love spoken of here is the kind that prefers what God prefers, which is what is pure, moral, holy, righteous, honest and trustworthy. So, if we love with this kind of love, we will do no harm to others. We will not sin against them by lying to them, cheating on them, and gossiping about them, etc.

This kind of love abhors (hates) what is evil, and it holds fast to what is good. So, if we hate evil, truly, what should that look like in our lives? It means, not only should we not participate in evil, but we should also not allow ourselves to be entertained by the evil of others, either. For, how can we hate evil and yet find pleasure in watching others’ evil acts?

And, if we hold fast to what is good, what should that look like? It means that we should embrace the good and make it what our lives are about in place of the evil that was in our lives before. Our lives should be given over to and focused on what God considers good and holy and righteous. Thus, our actions, day in and day out, should reflect that this is the case.

When this is true of our lives, and we truly live like we hate evil and that we are holding on to the good, then the rest of this should naturally follow suit. We should be people of God who love God by doing what he says and who love others by doing what is pleasing to God, too.

No one should have to pressure us into ministering to the needs of others or sharing with others the gospel of our salvation. For, we should be fervent in spirit in our desire to serve our Lord in all that we do, think and are.

We, too, should be those who go through tribulation holding on to hope, believing in God’s sovereignty, trusting in his grace, resting in his love, and rejoicing in his salvation. And, we should always have open communication with our Lord to where we can hear him speak any time, and to where we can communicate with him, too, no matter where we are or what time of day it is, because we walk with him daily, moment by moment, in his love.

Romans 12:14-21 ESV

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Be Overcomers!

When we follow our Lord Jesus in obedience to his will for our lives, and we live holy lives, separate from the world, and set apart unto God, we will be hated, rejected, abandoned, and persecuted for our walks of faith and for the sake of the name of Jesus Christ and his gospel.

But, when we are persecuted, we are to return hate with love, not with retaliation. We are not to trade tit for tat. We are not to get even. We are not to treat others as they treat us, unless, of course, they are treating us with kindness and genuine love, which is how we are to treat even our enemies.

Since we are to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep, we must make certain that this, too, is in accord with God and his Word. For, he would not have us rejoice with what is evil or be sorrowful over Christians living victorious lives in Christ. For, there are many who do this, who rejoice with what is evil, but who are sad when people dedicate their lives to Jesus Christ and they no longer walk in the ways of the flesh.

The same is true regarding living in harmony with one another. We are not to live in harmony with those who do not live according to the ways of the Lord. We can, though, to a certain extent, live in harmony, even with the ungodly, if in doing so we are not living out of fellowship with our Lord, and if we are not compromising with the world of sin.

Bottom line here, in all of this, is that, just as Jesus Christ overcame evil when he died on that cross, and when he was resurrected from the dead, so should we be those who live our lives by overcoming evil with good – with what is righteous, holy, just, pure and trustworthy.

We, too, are able to overcome because he overcame. And, because of his power, grace and strength he gives to us to overcome, we are now able to live victorious lives free from the control of sin, now yielded to Christ and to his righteousness. Amen!

Thank You, Lord  

An Original Work / May 19, 2011

Thank You, Lord, for saving me;

From my sins set free.

Crucified and risen Lord,

They hung on a tree.

They thought they had finished You.

You came back to life;

Triumphed over hell and sin;

You gave eternal life.

Thank You, Lord, for victory

Over all my sin,

So that I might live with You;

You cleansed me within;

Filled me with your love and pow’r;

Give me strength each day,

So that I might live for You,

To love You and obey.

Thank You, Lord, for your return.

Soon You will arrive

To receive Your bride to You;

Meet You in the sky.

You’ll wipe away all our tears;

Free us from our fears;

Crown our heads in victory.

We’ll praise You with our cheers!

https://vimeo.com/125966333

Sunday, August 26, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus, that because You overcame evil with Your righteousness, we can now also live in victory over sin and walk in Your light, in Your truth, and in Your holiness and righteousness.