I Do Not Seal My Lips

I think some of us or all of us at times get fearful when those who do evil succeed in their plans, and it is because we are not trusting in the Lord, and we are not resting in him; and/or it is because we believe somehow that evil can trump God, but it cannot! Our God and Lord Jesus Christ is far above all rule and authority, power and dominion. God the Father has placed all things under Jesus’ feet. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. In everything he has the supremacy. Amen! He is the ruler of God’s creation; the head over every power and authority; and all angels, authorities and powers are in submission to him. Praise God! [See: Eph. 1:15-23; Col. 1:15-20; Rev. 3:14; Col. 2:9-10; & 1 Pet. 3:21-22.] In that we can rest secure, knowing that God rules supreme over all.

So, instead of fretting over what evil people do or even over what appears to be as though they have succeeded in their evil ways, we should place our trust in the Lord, and he will give us his peace. We should find our delight in him even when all hell is breaking loose all around us. And, we should commit our ways into his capable, powerful and loving hands, waiting on him, keeping his ways, delighting in his word, and believing that he hears our cries for mercy, and that he will sustain us and will give us strength and grace through it all. And, we should continue to give him all honor, praise and glory and never ever give up!

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.

http://originalworks.info/i-do-not-seal-my-lips/

http://youtu.be/PCNEeY8ZSbQ

Not Superwoman

Sunday, January 19, 2014, 8:40 a.m. – Upon rising this morning, the Lord Jesus put the song “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Psalms 58-66 (NIV).

Hear My Cry

Hear my cry, O God;

    listen to my prayer.

From the ends of the earth I call to you,

    I call as my heart grows faint;

    lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For you have been my refuge,

    a strong tower against the foe.

I long to dwell in your tent forever

    and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.

For you, God, have heard my vows;

    you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. ~ Ps. 61:1-5

I am not superwoman. ‘Bullets’ do not bounce off my chest and fall to the ground. When I get shot in the heart, I bleed. I hurt. When people say unkind things to me or about me, I do not naturally just shrug them off. When lies are spoken to me or about me, I do not immediately jump up and down with joy. When false accusations are hurled my way, I do not instinctively praise my Lord from whom all blessings flow. I cry. I feel pain. I suffer. I get weary. Yet, I cry out to my Lord in my suffering, I seek his counsel and his direction, and I pray for wisdom and discernment, and for his mercy and his grace to help me in my time of need. I do not do so because I am naturally strong, but because I am weak and I acknowledge that I need help. I cannot bear this burden alone. I don’t have what it takes to take the ‘bullets’ and to keep going. I know that about myself. I know I must rely on the Rock (Jesus Christ) that is higher than I. I know I must take refuge in my Lord Jesus and rely upon his strength, power, love and mercy to get me through these troubled times.

Shout For Joy!

Shout for joy to God, all the earth!

    Sing the glory of his name;

    make his praise glorious.

Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!

    So great is your power

    that your enemies cringe before you.

All the earth bows down to you;

    they sing praise to you,

    they sing the praises of your name.”

Come and see what God has done,

    his awesome deeds for mankind!

He turned the sea into dry land,

    they passed through the waters on foot—

    come, let us rejoice in him.

He rules forever by his power,

    his eyes watch the nations—

    let not the rebellious rise up against him. ~ Ps. 66:1-7

Once I have taken my burdens to the Lord in prayer, relying upon his grace and mercy to help me, and I cry out my pain to him, resting in his love, then his peace and his joy begin to fill up my heart and to heal my wounds. Where there was once much pain, now there is a song of praise and rejoicing, for God has come to my rescue, has brought comfort and joy to my heart, and has shown me his path once again that I may walk in it. He gives purpose and direction, and for that I praise his name! He gives comfort and peace, and in that I rejoice! He delivers me from fear of my enemies who come against me, and he teaches me to walk in his truth and to trust in his love, and to believe in his many promises to me, even when I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. He shows me his faithfulness, his love and compassion, and his mercy and grace to me in my time of need, and for that I will forever praise his name! When I come up against situations that are too hard for me, and for which I see no end in sight, he leads me through the difficulties and he shows me that he is very much in control of my circumstances and that he can handle what I cannot.

He Tests Us

Praise our God, all peoples,

    let the sound of his praise be heard;

he has preserved our lives

    and kept our feet from slipping.

For you, God, tested us;

    you refined us like silver.

You brought us into prison

    and laid burdens on our backs.

You let people ride over our heads;

    we went through fire and water,

    but you brought us to a place of abundance.

I will come to your temple with burnt offerings

    and fulfill my vows to you—

vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke

    when I was in trouble. ~ Ps. 66:8-14

I believe in the absolute sovereignty of God over all things. I believe he is all powerful, all knowing and that he is everywhere at all times. I believe the Bible teaches that God is in control of all things at all times, and that it teaches this from beginning to end. I believe he brings things or allows things to come into our lives to test us and to refine us, including that he permits people to ride over us, i.e. to mistreat and to persecute us and even to physically imprison and to kill us for our testimonies for Jesus Christ. I believe scripture teaches us that Satan and his hordes cannot touch us but what God allows it, and he allows it for a purpose in our lives. God does not create evil nor does he promote evil, yet he allows evil to exist, and he sometimes uses evil people to accomplish his purposes in our lives. I believe this is seen and taught in scripture over and over again.

In James 1 we learn that we should consider it pure joy whenever we face trials of many kinds, because the testing of our faith produces perseverance, ultimately resulting in our maturity in Christ. We are thus blessed when we persevere under trial, because when we stand the test, we receive the crown of life that God promised to those who love him. In 1 Peter 1 we read that for a little while we may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials, yet we should not allow these trials to unsettle us, because they have come to test the proof of our faith by fire, resulting in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. And, in 1 Peter 4 we learn that we should not be surprised when we go through fiery ordeals that come into our lives to test us, thinking that something strange is happening to us. But we should rejoice in that we participate in the sufferings of Christ.

And, Christ’s sufferings were not without purpose. God very much had the power to deliver him from them, and he even called upon the Father to deliver him from the cross if it were possible, yet he submitted to the will of God for his life, which was for him to go to the cross to die for our sin. That is why he came. And, because of his submission, we have the hope of salvation and of eternal life with God in glory. Amen!

Compare this, then, to Paul’s suffering a thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan given to him to keep him from being conceited (to keep him from exalting himself) because of all the revelations given him by God. Satan would not give someone a thorn to keep him from becoming conceited. Only God would do that. Paul pleaded with the Lord to deliver him, believing that God could indeed deliver him. Jesus’ answer to him showed that he had the power to deliver Paul from this thorn, but he chose not to, because he wanted Paul to find his strength in Christ alone. Paul was to suffer in this way to keep him humble so that he could serve the people of God in the manner in which God intended to use him. So, Paul submitted to the will of God and accepted the thorn in his life so that the power of Christ would dwell in him. He thus accepted the insults, persecutions and difficulties in his life which he suffered for the sake of Christ, realizing that his weakness only made room for the strength and power of God Almighty to be revealed through his life. Amen!

So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. 1 Peter 4:19

Although in my flesh I take no pleasure in suffering, and of myself I would not will that anyone should have to suffer as I have, and if it were in my human power to do so I would probably want to alleviate all suffering in the world, because I hurt when I see others hurt, I know and believe that suffering comes into our lives, not arbitrarily or as some cruel trick, but underneath the providence of God, with his permission, under his control, and for a purpose. Jesus knew there was a purpose for his suffering, and that is why he submitted to the cross. He kept his eye on the purpose – the salvation of human lives – and I believe that gave him strength to endure (See Heb. 12:1-3). He is our example to follow.

Paul, as well, was able to accept the thorn in his life because he knew the purpose for the thorn. And, I believe very much that the suffering I have gone through, and continue to go through in my life was and is also not without purpose, and that also helps give me the strength needed to endure. I can consider my Lord who endured such opposition from sinful humans as my example to follow so that I do not grow weary and lose heart. Amen! And, in that I rejoice!

Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah / William Williams / John Hughes

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,

Pilgrim through this barren land.

I am weak, but Thou art mighty;

Hold me with Thy powerful hand.

Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven,

Feed me till I want no more;

Feed me till I want no more.

Open now the crystal fountain,

Whence the healing stream doth flow;

Let the fire and cloudy pillar

Lead me all my journey through.

Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,

Be Thou still my Strength and Shield;

Be Thou still my Strength and Shield.

When I tread the verge of Jordan,

Bid my anxious fears subside;

Death of deaths, and hell’s destruction,

Land me safe on Canaan’s side.

Songs of praises, songs of praises,

I will ever give to Thee;

I will ever give to Thee. Amen.

The Mind Set on The Spirit

Wednesday, January 15, 2014, 11:17 a.m. – As I sat down just now to hear from my Lord, to sit at his feet, to learn from him, and to be taught in his truths, he put the song “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” in my mind (awesome old hymn). Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I believe the Lord Jesus would have me address the topic this morning of what it means to have our minds set on the Spirit, so the scriptures will be various.

Who is The Spirit? – And what is his function in the life of a believer?

Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written,

“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,

And which have not entered the heart of man,

All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:6-16 NASB)

The Holy Spirit of God is the third person of our triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When we, by faith in Jesus Christ, accept God’s invitation to his great salvation and to eternal life with him in heaven, he indwells us with his Holy Spirit. Jesus told his disciples early on that after he left this earth he would send them the comforter, the Holy Spirit, to indwell them and to speak his words to their hearts – to teach us all things; to disclose to us what is of Christ; to counsel, encourage, and to guide us into all truth, etc. (See John 14-16). Having the Holy Spirit within us is much like having Jesus Christ right here with us in the flesh talking to us in person, only better in some ways, because he is within us not just in body, but in mind and in heart, and he is so 24/7. Amen! God had all this prepared in advance for all those who love him. Awesome!

The Spirit within us searches all things, even the deep things of God. The Spirit knows the thoughts of God. We have received the Spirit within us that we may also know the things freely given to us by God – the truths of God which we thus speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but those taught to us by the Spirit of God. We have been given the mind of Christ because his Spirit is within us, and the Spirit knows the mind of God. The things of the Spirit of God are spiritually discerned, so the natural man cannot understand them. But we, who have the Spirit of God within us, can be taught by God via his Spirit. Yet, we are still clay vessels, and we don’t see perfectly all the time, and we know only in part, but one day we will see Jesus face to face, and then we will know fully (See 1 Co. 13:9, 10, 12).

How do we get to know the mind of Christ within us?

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God…

So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Romans 8:1-8, 12-14 NASB)

If we who are believers in Jesus Christ want to know the mind of Christ, which is within us, to hear his Spirit speaking spiritual truths to our hearts via his Word, and via his Spirit within us quickening our minds and hearts to receive his truths, we must have our minds set on the Spirit, and we must be walking in the Spirit. Why? Because if we are not living our lives by the Spirit of God, and we do not have our minds set on the things of the Spirit instead of having them set (established; firm) on the things of this world, we quench the Spirit and we put out his fire in our lives, as well as we grieve the Spirit of God by our rejection of his sacrifice for our sins, for he died, not just so we could go to heaven one day, but so we could walk in victory over sin while we still live here on the face of this earth.

So, how do we set our minds on the Spirit and not on the flesh? – Only by the grace of God and by His Spirit at work within us as we cooperate fully with that work. One of the ways in which we cooperate with the Spirit’s work within us is that daily we put to death by the Spirit of God the deeds (or misdeeds) of our flesh. When temptation comes our way, and it will, or when our flesh begins to arise and to take over, we, by the Spirit of God, choose to reject the temptation to sin, and we choose not to give way to the flesh, and by the Spirit of God within us we choose instead to follow Christ Jesus and his ways and to walk in His truth. We don’t allow things to be entertained in our minds that are contrary to the will of God for our lives; we don’t give the devil a foothold by which to work his way in our minds and hearts; and we choose to not be entertained by the sins of others, too.

And, then we daily enter into God’s presence, we meet with him, and talk with him, and listen to him via his Spirit within us and via his word speaking his truths to our hearts, and we choose, in the strength and power of the Spirit living within us, to follow our Lord Jesus wherever he leads us and to do what he says to do. The more we listen to him, and we do not walk away and forget what we look like, and the more we put into practice the things he teaches us we must do, the more of his Spirit we get to know because we are in the practice of listening to his voice and following his lead. Hand-in-hand with this, though, must be that we forsake our idols and our sinful practices which have a hold on our lives, and that we remove all hindrances in our lives which war against our souls and that drag us down (See Heb. 12:1) so that we can run the spiritual race set before us.

How is the Spirit of God lived out through our lives?

There are too many ways in which the Spirit of God is lived out through our lives for me to be able to describe them all to you, though they should all fall under the rule of the law of (Agape) love for God and for our fellow humans. Some of them have already been discussed here, so I will focus mainly here on our testimony for Jesus Christ, i.e. on how the life of the Spirit is lived out through us via the words that we speak (or write), as that is the ministry the Lord Jesus has given to me. Yet, this is not unique to me, for he has given all of us the responsibility to be his witnesses, to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey what Christ has commanded us, and to do our part within the body for the building up and encouraging and strengthening of the body of Christ, of which we are all a part.

In 1 Co. 14 we learn that we are to do (and/or to speak) what leads to the edification (instruction, education, improvement), exhortation (urging, counsel), instruction (teaching, training) and encouragement (reassurance, help, strengthening) of the body of Christ (Cf. Rom. 1:12; 12:8; 14:19; 15:2, 14; 2 Co. 13:11; Eph. 4:7-16, 29; 1 Thess. 4:18; 5:11-14; Heb. 3:13; Jude 1:20). We are to speak the truth in love to one another and to help one another come to maturity in Christ so that we are no longer tossed back and forth by various winds of teaching. We, as the body of Christ, grow and build ourselves up in love, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, as each part does its work (See Eph. 4). In other words, we are all necessary. Not one part of the body can say to another, “We don’t need you” (See 1 Co. 12). Nor should we give the impression to any one part of the body that they are less than us or that the function they fulfill is somehow not up to our standard of excellence, because God honors the parts of the body which are dishonored by mankind. And, it is the Spirit of God which determines which part of the body we are and what our role is to be, and this is not something we determine in our own flesh.

As well, we cannot instruct, counsel, encourage, build up in the faith, exhort or edify the body of Christ in our own human flesh, of our own will, and with human reasoning or intellect; not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. So, we must be in tune with the Spirit of God through the practice of daily listening to him speak his words to our hearts; through the practice of doing what the word says and not just to be hearers only; and via the daily practice of putting to death the deeds (or misdeeds) of our flesh, which war against our souls, so that we can daily walk in the Spirit of God and follow him wherever he leads us.

Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah / William Williams / John Hughes

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,

Pilgrim through this barren land.

I am weak, but Thou art mighty;

Hold me with Thy powerful hand.

Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven,

Feed me till I want no more;

Feed me till I want no more.

Open now the crystal fountain,

Whence the healing stream doth flow;

Let the fire and cloudy pillar

Lead me all my journey through.

Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,

Be Thou still my Strength and Shield;

Be Thou still my Strength and Shield.

When I tread the verge of Jordan,

Bid my anxious fears subside;

Death of deaths, and hell’s destruction,

Land me safe on Canaan’s side.

Songs of praises, songs of praises,

I will ever give to Thee;

I will ever give to Thee. Amen.

My Soul Pants

Tuesday, January 14, 2014, 7:00 a.m. – I lay in bed awake, wondering if it was yet the middle of the night or the morning, since it was still dark, and whether I should get up or not. The Lord Jesus very gently whispered the song in my ear “He Keeps Me Singing.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Psalm 42 (NIV).

As The Deer

As the deer pants for streams of water,

    so my soul pants for you, my God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

    When can I go and meet with God?

I love this passage of scripture! The psalmist knew how to paint word pictures to illustrate his desire for God. If you have ever been truly thirsty to where you panted for water and could not wait until you could get a cool drink of water, and then you did, and your thirst was quenched, and your entire being felt the refreshment and satisfaction of a longing fulfilled, then you can, perhaps, begin to identify with what the psalmist is expressing here.

Oh, that our souls would pant for the living God!! And, that we would desire like this to meet with him each day. How many times in our lives do we pant (long) for everything and anything but God? We look to so many things of this world to satisfy the deep longings of our hearts – things that will never satisfy and that will only leave us empty, going deeper and deeper into sin, with a hangover of guilt and shame. Will we never learn that only our God can satisfy the deep longings of our souls?

Praise Jesus who has delivered us from endless wandering and fruitless deeds of darkness and has brought us into his wonderful light! Amen! Through him and in him our souls can be satisfied with his love, mercy, grace, salvation, forgiveness, kindness, comfort, correction, encouragement, hope and healing. Because Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, we can come boldly into the throne of grace to find mercy and grace in times of trouble. We can enter into his presence day and night and be satisfied with his love and grace.

Tears Day and Night

My tears have been my food

    day and night,

while people say to me all day long,

    “Where is your God?”

The psalmist was suffering greatly at the hands (and/or words) of his enemies (opponents). His enemy then seized the opportunity of the psalmist’s misery to cruelly taunt and to reproach him with incessant malice, suggesting that the psalmist’s trust in God was for naught. This only added to his tears, not just because he was being persecuted without cause, but that his God was being attacked, as well, and his Lord’s sovereignty was being brought into question. “If God was really there, then why did he allow the psalmist to suffer so?” was what was suggested when they jeered at him. His enemies were questioning the very faithfulness of Almighty God. And, that brought much added grief to the psalmist’s heart and many more tears to his eyes already wet with sorrow and suffering.

It is painful enough to have our relationships with our Lord Jesus brought into question without cause and without reason, but it is even more painful to our hearts when those who do so misrepresent our God and his word of truth. I can more easily (though not easily) receive the rebuke of others against my own person than I can receive their misrepresentations of my Lord and of his word. Yet, there will, at times, be those in our lives who will attack us unfairly and without reason, and perhaps even with incessant malice because they do not understand us - who we are - and they do not comprehend our relationships with Jesus Christ; and/or because they truly do not understand or accept the teachings of scripture nor the working of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer and servant of the Lord, as we all should be who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. Jesus said we would be hated, so, although painful, it should not surprise us when we are treated thus.

Sad but Hopeful

Why, my soul, are you downcast?

    Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

    for I will yet praise him,

    my Savior and my God.

It sounds here as though the psalmist is counseling himself. He is questioning himself as to why he has allowed himself to become so downcast over this situation of these attacks from his foes. Why has he allowed this to disturb him so much? He should put his hope in God, believing that God has allowed this in his life for a purpose, and that God will use it in his life for good, and that God will get the glory through it all. Amen! And, instead of letting this disturb him to tears, he should praise his Lord in word, in prayer and in song.

I know I have done something similar to him at times in my life when I came to the realization of how I was letting something like to this impact me in a related fashion. Sometimes we just need to step back from a situation and evaluate it and think about our responses and what our own reactions are saying about us and about how we view God. If we truly believe that God loves us, and that he has our best in mind always, then we must accept that he has allowed us to suffer the hatred, the persecution, and the incessant and cruel taunts of our enemies, and we are to rejoice that we share in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings, knowing that God will work all things out for good in the lives of those who love him and who have been called according to his purpose.

He’s Always There

By day the Lord directs his love,

    at night his song is with me—

    a prayer to the God of my life.

I find this so comforting and encouraging. God is always with us if we have trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives. No matter what comes our way, he will never leave us or forsake us. Amen! His love, comfort, peace, joy and strength will sustain and will encourage our hearts throughout the day and throughout the night. I love that he gives us songs, too, because music touches my heart, which is how he created me to be. He speaks to me in many ways, showing me his love, his grace, his mercy, his compassion and kindness, and directing me in the way he would have me go. One of the ways in which he speaks is through song – some that others have written and some that he gives me to write. They serve as such wonderful gifts from my Lord to encourage and strengthen my heart day and night. Praise his holy name! He gives good gifts to those he loves! Although he sometimes leads through waters deep, we need to see his footprints all the way. And, we need to put our hope and trust in him, believing that he will work all things out for good.

He Keeps Me Singing / Luther B. Bridgers

There's within my heart a melody

Jesus whispers sweet and low:

Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still,

In all of life's ebb and flow.

Though sometimes he leads through waters deep,

Trials fall across the way,

Though sometimes the path seems rough and steep,

See his footprints all the way.

Soon he's coming back to welcome me

Far beyond the starry sky;

I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown;

I shall reign with him on high.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,

Sweetest name I know,

Fills my every longing,

Keeps me singing as I go. 

My Fortress

Saturday, January 11, 2014, 8:57 a.m. – When I got up out of bed this morning, the Lord Jesus put the song “Why Are You Afraid?” in my mind. Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Psalms 27 (NIV):

My Strength

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?

When the wicked advance against me

    to devour me,

it is my enemies and my foes

    who will stumble and fall.

Though an army besiege me,

    my heart will not fear;

though war break out against me,

    even then I will be confident.

This Psalm of David is one of my all-time favorites. The Lord has given me much courage, strength and comfort through this Psalm time and time again. How so? I used to be a very timid and fearful person. I am not a tower of strength of my own making. In the natural, I scare easily. In the natural I would prefer to run and take cover rather than stand up against the giants. I grew up in a home environment as a child where I, my mom and my siblings were all severely abused by my father. I was very fearful of my dad. Although I knew God was with me to encourage and comfort me, and to give me hope, I was convinced that my circumstances were beyond God’s control, and I carried with me that belief into adulthood. So, whenever something in my life came down heavy upon me like an enemy advancing against me to devour me, I, in my flesh, frequently ran for cover instead of trusting the Lord with my circumstances, believing that I truly had nothing to fear.

I believe it was a close friend of mine who, thirty years ago, told me I should memorize this Psalm. I know I cried all the way through the first reading of it, and have cried many times since while reading it, too. I cry because the truth of it touches my heart. Although there will be those in my life who will advance against me to devour me, perhaps even thinking they are doing a good or a right thing, and although they may war against me, perhaps due to their own faulty thinking or misconceptions, or due to their own hatred, hurts or fears, I don’t have any reason to ever be afraid. Why?

Well, for one thing they cannot rob from me the one thing that is most valuable and that is my salvation. They may be able to seize me, arrest me, incarcerate me, even bring up false charges against me, beat me or put me to death, but I still have my Lord, and I still have the hope of eternal life with him in glory. Amen! The other reason I do not need to be afraid is that my God is absolutely in control of all aspects of my life, he is all powerful, and nothing can touch me but what he allows it, and he allows it for a purpose. He is my stronghold, my fortress. In him I take refuge, and in that place of refuge I find much comfort in knowing that the enemy cannot demolish that fortress, and that he cannot take me down spiritually, and he can only take me down physically if God permits. And, even then God will be with me to lead, guide, counsel, encourage and to give me all the courage and strength that I need to stand tall in the face of such opposition.

My Desire

One thing I ask from the Lord,

    this only do I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

    all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the Lord

    and to seek him in his temple.

For in the day of trouble

    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent

    and set me high upon a rock.

Then my head will be exalted

    above the enemies who surround me;

at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;

    I will sing and make music to the Lord.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we have the Spirit of the Living God living his life within us and out through us. Because of that, we can come into fellowship with him in his house 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So, those of us who truly trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives do dwell in the house of the Lord all the rest of the days of our lives. Amen! And, because of that, we can rejoice even when all hell is breaking loose around us. We can sing for joy because of our love relationship with Jesus Christ; because of our intimate relationship with Him as our Lord and Savior, realizing that he is within us, and he will give us all we need to stand tall even in the face of severe persecution. So, even if we are being falsely accused, mistreated, attacked mercilessly and are suffering much unjust treatment at the hand of our enemies, we can still sing songs of praise to our Lord. Amen!

My Comfort

Hear my voice when I call, Lord;

    be merciful to me and answer me.

My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”

    Your face, Lord, I will seek.

Do not hide your face from me,

    do not turn your servant away in anger;

    you have been my helper.

Do not reject me or forsake me,

    God my Savior.

Though my father and mother forsake me,

    the Lord will receive me.

This particular part of this passage of scripture, when I first read it, brought many tears to my eyes, and yet much comfort. Even though I felt rejected and unloved by my parents, and even though my mom did not give me the love and affection I would have liked to have received from her in my childhood years, and even though my dad was a big bully who picked on those weaker than him, and so I felt deserted by both of them, my Lord did receive me. I cried myself to sleep many times in his “arms.” When I truly comprehended what this meant, though, the Lord used it in my life to bring much healing and forgiveness, and I was able, by his grace, to reach out in love to my parents, and my mom was then able to hug me and to tell me that she loved me. Awesome! And, through this healing of my wounded heart the Lord Jesus delivered me from many fears. To God be the glory!

My Hope

Teach me your way, Lord;

    lead me in a straight path

    because of my oppressors.

Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,

    for false witnesses rise up against me,

    spouting malicious accusations.

I remain confident of this:

    I will see the goodness of the Lord

    in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord;

    be strong and take heart

    and wait for the Lord.

We serve an awesome God! Through all the pain, all the suffering, and all the tears, not just in my childhood, but in many similar circumstances throughout the 64 years of my life, I have learned time and time again to put my hope in the Lord Jesus, to rest in his love and in his many promises to me, to believe that he will work everything out in my life for my good, and that he will teach me what he wants me to learn through it all for the praise of his glory. There were times, I must admit, when I strayed from the straight path because I ran and hid for cover in a refuge other than in my Lord, but that time is no more, praise His Name! Now I take my difficult circumstances to him in prayer, I trust in his provisions, and I lean not on my own understanding, but I let him speak his truths to my heart. And, teach me he does! And, by his grace and mercy I am able to follow his lead and to go where he wants me to go. He may choose to deliver me out of difficulties, or he may choose to deliver me through them for his glory. Yet, one day he will most certainly deliver me from it all when he takes me home to be with him forever, and there forever I will rest in his love.

Why Are You Afraid? / An Original Work / December 5, 2013

Based off Various Scriptures

Do not be afraid.

Your Lord is always by your side.

Serve the Lord in righteousness

Before Him all your days.

Those who hate the light

Will not come to the Lord.

They fear their deeds

Might be noticed.

So, they hate the light,

And they embrace the night.

Do not be afraid,

Although your enemy attacks.

Dare to share your testimony

Of God’s saving grace.

Do not fear their threats,

But honor Christ, your Lord.

Be prepared to give an answer

For the hope you have,

With gentleness; respect.

Why are you afraid?

For all that’s hidden will be shown.

What I tell you, speak in daylight.

Let the truth be known.

Do not be afraid

Of those who’ll take your life.

Fear the Lord with understanding.

Trust Him with your life,

And give not up to strife.

Do not be afraid.

Take courage, it is I, your Lord.

Bow before Me; now adore Me.

Oh, why do you doubt?

Listen to the Lord.

Get up, and bear His name!

Run and tell the world He loves them.

Jesus came to save.

Give Him your all today.

http://originalworks.info/why-are-you-afraid/

http://youtu.be/NSh2YXNINjs

Teach Me Your Paths

Friday, January 10, 2014, 4:00 a.m. – When I awoke this morning, the Lord Jesus put the song in my mind “Fully Surrendered.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Psalms 25 (NIV). http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms%2025&version=NIV

I Trust Him

In you, Lord my God,

    I put my trust.

I trust in you…

Show me your ways, Lord,

    teach me your paths.

Guide me in your truth and teach me,

    for you are God my Savior,

    and my hope is in you all day long.

…Good and upright is the Lord;

    therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

He guides the humble in what is right

    and teaches them his way.

All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful

    toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.

To trust means to have faith, belief, hope, conviction, confidence, and expectation. To trust in God means to place our reliance upon and our dependence in him, to believe he is who he says he is, and that he did and will do what he says he did and will do. It means that we give him our loyalty, faithfulness, commitment, fidelity, dedication, allegiance, endurance, steadfastness, perseverance, and single-mindedness of devotion and heart. Yet, none of this is possible absent of his grace and his great salvation which he provided for us via the death of the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord, who shed his blood on a cross for our sin so that we could be set free from eternal punishment, free from slavery to (the control of) sin, and free to walk in his righteousness and holiness in the power, strength and wisdom of God living within us and out through us in the person of the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who love him, and who have trusted Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives.

When our trust is truly in the Lord Jesus, we will desire to hear from him daily, to fellowship with him, to praise and to worship him, to give him thanks, to know his will and his ways, to have him teach us, and to follow him wherever he leads us. We can learn his ways, his paths and his truth via the written word of God, which we have been given to instruct us in the ways of the Lord, and via the Holy Spirit within us who quickens our hearts and minds to hear from the Lord and to understand what he desires to teach us; and who counsels, guides, teaches and directs us in God’s paths.

God’s ways are his practices, direction, course of action and/or way of living, involving his divine character, motivations, heart, mind, purpose and will, etc. We can learn all this by spending time each day in his word, listening to him speak to our hearts, and by doing what his word instructs us to do, in full submission and surrender to our Lord Jesus because of what he did for us, because we love him, and because his Spirit within us puts within us that longing for him and for his words, and because he gives us the desire and enables us to obey our Lord and to walk in his paths and in his truth. Apart from him, I can do nothing.

So, why is it important that we walk in his ways and in his truth? – Because he saved us, not just so we could go to heaven one day, but so we would be delivered out of the bondage of sin and living for self, and because he gave us new lives in Christ Jesus to be lived in his righteousness and holiness within us. So, to trust in his salvation means that we believe in this purpose and that our desire becomes his desire, and our goal now is to please HIM.

I Revere Him

Who, then, are those who fear the Lord?

    He will instruct them in the ways they should choose…

The Lord confides in those who fear him;

    he makes his covenant known to them…

To fear God is to respect, honor, revere, obey, worship and adore him. To honor God means to treat him with honesty, integrity and to behave towards him in every way as he so deserves to be treated, because of who he is and because of all he has done. To show him respect means to demonstrate careful thought, attention, concern and appreciation, not only for who he is and for what he has done for us, but for his word, his instructions to us, his will and desire for our lives, and for the very purpose for which he died, which was to free us of the control of sin over our daily lives and so that we could walk daily in his righteousness and holiness. When we go our own way each day, and we give him and his word little regard in our daily lives, we dishonor him and we show him enormous disrespect.

To worship God is more than just singing praise and worship songs in a worship service. True worship of God is to offer our bodies (our lives) as living sacrifices to him, holy and pleasing to God. This is our true and proper worship. We should no longer conform to the pattern (ways) of this world, but we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds via the working and power of the Holy Spirit within us (See Rom. 12:1-2). We should not “honor” God with lip service only while our hearts are far from him, for that is no honor at all (See Mk. 7:6). We should worship God with reverence and awe (See Heb. 12:28-29). And, we should worship him in spirit (or in the Spirit) and in truth (See John 4:24), i.e. in the true and right way which is appropriate to his divine nature, and pleasing to his will.

When we have the fear of the Lord, and we honor and respect him, he will teach us the way in which he would have us go – the way we should choose – and he will confide in us and will make known to us and will give us understanding of his covenant relationship with us. God reveals to us, by his Spirit, what he has prepared for those who love him. “The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God;” and the Spirit gives to us the mind (thinking, heart and attitude) of Christ so that we can know his will for our lives (See 1 Co. 2:9-16). In other words, the things of God – his truths, his ways, etc. – are not something we can truly comprehend and/or even apply to our lives of our own accord, but they are discerned only of the Spirit of God and may be applied only in the power, strength and wisdom of the Spirit living within us and out through us for his purposes and for his glory.

Do we truly trust him with our lives? Or, is our faith just a religion, a notion, an emotional experience, and/or a mere intellectual acknowledgement of who He is and what He did for us? Is it merely tradition, culture, form or duty? Or, does our Lord truly have our hearts, devotion, commitment, honor, worship, and respect? Is our desire for him, for his word, and to follow in his ways and in his truth, or do we tend to go our own way with little regard for him and his will for our lives? Is our all on the altar of sacrifice laid, or do we still hold on to our own lives and choose our own paths, and thus he is more of an afterthought? Do we look forward to our time with him each day, or is it drudgery? May we all fall in love with Jesus Christ and be passionately desirous of him and of walking in his ways. Amen!

Fully Surrendered / Alfred C. Snead / George C. Stebbins

Fully surrendered—Lord, I would be,

Fully surrendered, dear Lord, to Thee.

All on the altar laid,

Surrender fully made,

Thou hast my ransom paid;

I yield to Thee.

Fully surrendered—life, time, and all,

All Thou hast given me held at Thy call.

Speak but the word to me,

Gladly I'll follow Thee,

Now and eternally

Obey my Lord.

Fully surrendered—silver and gold,

His, who hath given me riches untold.

All, all belong to Thee,

For Thou didst purchase me,

Thine evermore to be,

Jesus, my Lord.

Fully surrendered—Lord, I am Thine;

Fully surrendered, Savior divine!

Live Thou Thy life in me;

All fullness dwells in Thee;

Not I, but Christ in me,

Christ all in all.

I Take Refuge

Wednesday, January 08, 2014, 8:11 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me this morning with the song “Songs in the Night” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Psalms 13-16 (NIV). The Lord stopped me at chapter 16.

Apart From You

Keep me safe, my God,

    for in you I take refuge.

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;

    apart from you I have no good thing.”

I say of the holy people who are in the land,

    “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”

As we know from reading the life of Jesus Christ, and that of the prophets before him, and that of the apostles and his followers after him; as well as from reading the Biblical instructions and teachings given to us by Jesus Christ and by the writers of the New Testament - those divine instruments of the Living Word of God - we are not promised complete safety from harm. In fact, Jesus Christ said we would suffer just as he suffered, and that we should expect to be hated, persecuted, despised and rejected of men, and even killed for our faith in and our testimony for Jesus Christ and his gospel. Scripture teaches that we are destined for trials and tribulations which test our faith, but which help to train us in godliness (Heb. 12:11), purify our hearts, make us holy, mature us in Christ, and develop within us patience, character, hope and perseverance (Rom. 5:3-4).

That is not to say, though, that there won’t be times in our lives when God will miraculously intervene on our behalf and will prevent us from some calamity. He did this often for people throughout Biblical history, so we can certainly pray for safe keeping. Yet, I believe the way in which our Lord keeps us safe continuously is in keeping us safe from the ill effects that such trials and tribulations might have on our lives emotionally and spiritually. In other words, we can always count on him to deliver us emotionally and spiritually through difficult circumstances in our lives as we choose to take refuge in him, and we choose to trust him and to rest in him during times of great trouble and hardship.

Attitude makes or breaks us many times. Oftentimes we buckle under the weight of our difficult and troublesome circumstances in our lives because of faulty thinking and wrong concepts about who we are or who God is. Sometimes we get this notion that, as followers of Christ, that life should be one big party, or that things should now go great for us because we have trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives. Or, we may have an entitlement mindset, thinking that God or others owe us something, or we set our expectations beyond what is promised, and so when things don’t go the way we think they should, we buckle, and sometimes we fall hard.

Or, we may think that God should always rescue us from difficulties, and so when he doesn’t, we get angry and thus rebel in our spirits, or we retreat back to our old ways. Yet, if we have the right attitude and thinking about who God is and who we are, it should change how we respond when the rubber meets the road. We should realize that all that we have comes from God and that apart from him we have no good thing, and we should thank him and praise him for his goodness to us instead of complaining or arguing with him when we face those bumps in the road. And, we should also realize that he is absolutely sovereign over all things, and that nothing will come into our lives but what he allows, and he allows for a purpose, so instead of fighting him, we should yield to his purposes.

After Other Gods

Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.

    I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods

    or take up their names on my lips.

“Other gods” (idols) are not merely statues which someone carves out of wood or stone and physically bows down to. “Other gods” can be anything to which we give our hearts, devotion, commitment, enthusiasm, passion, desire, time, energies, thoughts, praise, adoration, money, and/or our bodies, over and above or in place of giving ourselves to God Almighty. They may be sinful things, in and of themselves, or they may be good things, but when we allow them to be our “gods” over and above God or in place of Jesus Christ, then they become sinful for us. God does not approve of such idols in our lives, and we can have no fellowship with our Lord when we drink the cup of Satan at the same time (See I Co. 10:1-22). There is no fellowship between light and darkness. Thus, when we choose to chase after “other gods” it will hurt our fellowship with our Lord, with the body of Christ, our testimonies for Christ, our own spiritual lives, and our relationships with others. Jesus Christ demands exclusive loyalty and commitment to him and the Father as our only God.

My Portion and Cup

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;

    you make my lot secure.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

    surely I have a delightful inheritance.

Only with God will we find the peace, joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment we so long after. If only we could learn truly to make him our portion and our cup, i.e. that which fulfills, delights, enthralls, satisfies, and that which sooths us and brings comfort to our souls. So many times we run or chase after “other gods” of entertainment, self-gratification, food, physical training, possessions, careers, adulterous relationships, etc. to bring us joy, peace, and satisfaction, but they will ultimately leave us empty, unfulfilled and always craving more and more, and send us deeper and deeper into sin and depravity.

Only in Christ Jesus and God the Father and in his Spirit within us can we find the living water which will satisfy our thirst, and which will give us the love, affection, hope, peace, comfort, direction, and joy which we, as humans, so long after, and can only experience in true fellowship and communion with our Lord. Yet, so many who profess Christ turn to idols, as did God’s children of old, to be their portion and cup instead of the one true God, and they only end up hurting themselves, their relationships with their Lord, their testimonies for Christ, and the lives of those whom they impact, especially the lives of those closest to them. Why must we be so stubborn and rebellious? True joy and peace can only be found in submission and in surrender to God and to his will for our lives.

Even At Night

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;

    even at night my heart instructs me.

I keep my eyes always on the Lord.

    With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

    my body also will rest secure,

because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,

    nor will you let your faithful one see decay.

You make known to me the path of life;

    you will fill me with joy in your presence,

    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

I can testify to the fact that God does counsel us in the night if we are willing to hear him and to do what he says. He may do this while we are yet awake, or he may speak to us in our sleep, even through our dreams. Or, he may wake us from sleep with a thought, a scripture or a song. I think sometimes he speaks to us best when our minds are more relaxed and not so occupied with so many other things. I know he often speaks to me through a scriptural song he places in my head. Sometimes I am just thinking about something and have not even yet voiced it to him, and already he answers me through scripture put to music. And, the words to the song hit right to the center of what was on my mind, and they will instruct, counsel, encourage or even rebuke or correct me, at times.

So, what does it mean to keep our eyes always on the Lord? I believe it means to be focused, alert, ready, willing, to keep watch, observe, to have a sense of, and to give attention to him 24/7. How do we do this? First of all we must believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives, thus be filled with the presence of his Spirit within us, then we must devote time and attention to listen to him speak to our hearts and to doing what he says – all in the power and strength and wisdom of the Spirit living the life of God in and out through us, as we yield control of our lives over to our Lord in submission to his will.

And, we must not be given over to sinful practices or to chasing after “other gods,” in order that we can hear him speaking his words to our hearts, and so that we will be inclined of his Spirit to want to obey. If we are truly focused on him and not on our circumstances (the waves of life), and not on our own worldly passions and desires, we can’t be shaken, because our trust is in him and not in our own resources, strength, possessions, wealth or other things of this world.

As believers in and as followers of Jesus Christ we have the hope, not only of his presence with us in this life; of his counsel, guidance and protection; of his peace, security, love, mercy, grace, and joy while we are still on this earth, but also the hope and promise that we will not see eternal punishment (death), but will have the hope of eternal life with God in glory. Amen! And, in that we can certainly rejoice, not only in the promise and hope of eternal life in glory, but in the hope and security of a relationship with Jesus Christ while we are still here on this earth.

Not only did our Lord Jesus die for our sins so that we might be free from bondage to and the control of sin over our lives on a daily basis, but he freed us from the destiny of hell, and he freed us, too, to walk in his Spirit and in his righteousness and holiness via the life of the Holy Spirit within us living out the life of God in and through us for the praise of his glory. Amen! And, in that we should certainly rejoice and give him much praise!

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!

http://originalworks.info/songs-in-the-night/

http://youtu.be/yRujDmfS2qU