The Shield of Your Salvation

“For who is God, but the Lord?

    And who is a rock, except our God?—

the God who equipped me with strength

    and made my way blameless.

He made my feet like the feet of a deer

    and set me secure on the heights.

He trains my hands for war,

    so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

You have given me the shield of your salvation,

    and your right hand supported me,

    and your gentleness made me great.

You gave a wide place for my steps under me,

    and my feet did not slip.” (Psalms 18:31-36 ESV)

Who is God? He is Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit – our triune God, the creator of the universe and the giver of life to all humanity. And he made known who he is to all humankind through what he created: 

“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19-20 ESV)

Our God is the Lord (Owner-Master) of the universe and the heavens above and all of his created works, although not everyone who was made by him honors him as such. For many who know God exists, for they have seen him in his created works, do not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but their foolish hearts are darkened, and so they exchange the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. So God gives them up to their lusts (Romans 1:21-25).

But for those of us who have put our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and who do make it our practice to honor God with our lives, we are in a different category from those who have chosen their sins over God. For we have believed in our Lord, and we have surrendered our lives to him, and for his service, to live to please him with our lives and no longer to live for the pleasures of our sinful flesh. And all of this was made possible for us via Jesus’ death on a cross where he put our sins to death with him.

But not just that! Jesus was resurrected on the third day from the dead in victory over sin, Satan, death, and hell, on our behalf, so that by faith in him we might die with him to sin and be raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. He died on that cross to deliver us out of bondage to sin so that we will now serve him with our lives in walks of holiness and in righteousness and in obedience to our Lord and to his commandments.

As the Lord’s followers, we have now been forgiven of our sins and we have the hope of eternal life with God, but provided that we continue steadfast in faith in him in walks of obedience to his commands and in righteous living and that we do not return to living in sin and not in obedience to our Lord. For it is those who practice righteousness who are righteous in the sight of God. And those who practice sin God does not acknowledge. He said they do not know him (1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10).

But as Jesus’ followers who die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and who now walk in obedience to his commands, the Lord gives us the strength that we need each day to live holy lives pleasing to him and to resist the devil and to flee temptation to sin. He is the one who empowers us with his spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:10-20) so that we can fight off the attacks of the enemy and so that we can do what God has called us to do. If we will listen to him and obey him, he will keep us from stumbling so we can walk in holiness.

[Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 9:28; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Luke 9:23-26; Matt 7:21-23]  

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!

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