Watch Your Steps

Wednesday, January 21, 2015, 5:30 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “How Sweet the Sound.” A little later he put in mind the song “Open My Heart.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. The Lord led me to read Proverbs 5-6 (selected verses NASB).

Drips Honey

My son, give attention to my wisdom,

Incline your ear to my understanding;

That you may observe discretion

And your lips may reserve knowledge.

For the lips of an adulteress drip honey

And smoother than oil is her speech;

But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,

Sharp as a two-edged sword.

Her feet go down to death,

Her steps take hold of Sheol.

She does not ponder the path of life;

Her ways are unstable, she does not know it. ~ 5:1-6

We must pay attention to what the Word of God teaches us with regard to holy living and to the things we are to keep away from, to cast off and/or to avoid. We should not reject godly wisdom in favor of going our own way and doing our own thing. We must test everything we see, hear or read against the Word of Truth and against what we know to be God’s divine character and will for our lives. We must be careful that we don’t buy into what sounds good and pleasing to our ears, but is filled with lies, deception and manipulations of truth. An adulteress is not just one who tries to get us to have sex with her or him (virtually or otherwise), but is anyone who tries to lure us into sinning with her (or him) against our God and/or against our spouse in any way. She represents what is forbidden for us by God.

An adulteress (in reality or metaphorically speaking), and anyone who decides to walk in her ways, is like those who are descending a set of steps only to get to the next round of steps and realize too late that the last set of steps had been removed, so when they step forward they step down to their deaths. They are on a moral decline, and the steps (decisions and actions) they are taking are leading them straight to hell. Yet, they don’t see it because they just think more steps will always be there. They give no thought to their ways, because they think they can continue on in their course, and that things will always be as they are. Yet, none of us knows if we have tomorrow. We don’t know when we will take that last step and after that is death, so we shouldn’t play with fire thinking we won’t get burned. God is warning us to watch our steps so that we don’t fall into sin.

The lips of an adulteress drip with honey and her speech is as smooth as butter, but in the end, if we buy into her deceptions and allurement, it will come back and bite us. I believe one of the biggest areas of allurement where people get trapped these days is on the internet, where the whole world of evil is available to us at our fingertips and in the privacy of our homes, our bedrooms, and our cars, etc. with little to no accountability to anyone concerning what we look at, read, hear or take into our minds and hearts. It is easy to think that no one sees so no one knows, but since everything is on the cloud these days, I suspect that there is a record somewhere. I do know that when we go to internet sites that it leaves cookies, so people who go where they are not supposed to go often must wipe out their trail, but is it really wiped out? God sees what we do, even if no one else does.

Do Not Go Near

Now then, my sons, listen to me

And do not depart from the words of my mouth.

Keep your way far from her

And do not go near the door of her house,

Or you will give your vigor to others

And your years to the cruel one;

And strangers will be filled with your strength

And your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien;

And you groan at your final end,

When your flesh and your body are consumed;

And you say, “How I have hated instruction!

And my heart spurned reproof!

“I have not listened to the voice of my teachers,

Nor inclined my ear to my instructors!

“I was almost in utter ruin

In the midst of the assembly and congregation.” ~ 5:7-14

As I said already, an adulteress is not just someone who entices us to sin sexually. She represents all that is forbidden for us by God, and she represents deception, lies and manipulations of truth intended to lure us into following after her lies and not after truth. So, we must keep away from her no matter where she exists. The modern institutional church of today here in America, which is following after the flesh instead of after the Spirit is an adulteress who lures God’s people and the people of this world into following a false grace gospel which leaves people still bound in sin and gives them carte blanche to continue that way, and then assures them that God is pleased with them no matter what they do.

The government and media also serve as an adulteress with their smooth talk and their pleasing words which sound good, but is mostly based in lies and deceptions and false promises. We have to stop believing everything we see, hear and read and we must begin to test everything against the Word of God and in prayer for discernment and wisdom to know what lies are and what truth is so that we don’t follow the adulteress and her ways, thinking we are right when we may be dead wrong. We live in an age of deception. We have to stop being so naïve and realize that much of what is out there is not truth, even if it looks like truth. TV news can also be so alluring and captivating and is emotionally charged to get us to believe their stories. Remember, anything can be faked. Be wise! Be discerning!

If we are not wise and discerning, and we choose to reject godly counsel and the wisdom of scripture, and we instead embrace the words of humans, because we want to believe what they say, and what they say sounds good or makes us feel good, we must know that one day it may come back to bite us. One day we will see with our eyes and know with our hearts all the lies we believed and we followed, because the truth will be revealed, and then we will lament that we did not listen to godly counsel and wisdom but we decided to go our own way instead. Perhaps someone will discover the porn sites you have been visiting, or your boss will discover that you have been cheating him or her on your time sheet, or your eyes will be opened when this nation is judged for its sins and you realize that we are not the “good guys” going around the world spreading democracy and giving help to people.

They Will Guide You

My son, observe the commandment of your father

And do not forsake the teaching of your mother;

Bind them continually on your heart;

Tie them around your neck.

When you walk about, they will guide you;

When you sleep, they will watch over you;

And when you awake, they will talk to you.

For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light;

And reproofs for discipline are the way of life

To keep you from the evil woman,

From the smooth tongue of the adulteress. ~ 6:20-24

So, what is the solution? First of all, we must know Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior of our lives, have our sins forgiven, be delivered from hell, and have the hope of eternal life with God in glory. God made the way for us to be set free from our sin via Jesus’ death and resurrection. It is by his grace, through faith, that we have salvation. So, what is faith? Scriptural faith is described as us dying with Christ to our old lives of living for sin and self, us being born anew of the Spirit of God, and of us being given new lives in Christ to be lived out in his righteousness and holiness – all in the power and working of the Spirit within us, as we cooperate fully with that work of grace (See: Luke 9:23-25; Ac. 26:16-18; Ro. 6-8; 2 Co. 5:15; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 2:8-10; 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14; 1 Pet. 2:24-25; & 1 Jn. 1-5).

As believers in Jesus Christ, we are now the children of God. We were bought with Christ’s blood shed for us, so our lives are no longer our own. As Christ’s followers, our desire is for him – to walk in his ways and to do what he says. Our desire should no longer be to walk after the ways of the flesh. It does not mean we will never sin again, or that we will never be tempted to sin. We will. Yet, what it does mean is that sin is no longer our master. It no longer rules our lives. We don’t live in sin and walk in the ways of this sinful world as a matter of due course. We are surrendered to Jesus Christ and are committed to do his will.

The Christian life is not instantaneous perfection, though. It is a process of being made holy; of being made like Jesus, and of putting off the things of the flesh and putting on the things of the Spirit. Yet, as a follower of Christ, we should not willfully hold on to our old life of sin thinking that God’s grace covers it all. There are many warnings in scripture that tell us if we say we know God or that we have fellowship with him, but we continue to walk in sinful ways (in lifestyle), then we don’t know God and we are liars. For us to be genuinely saved, a transformation of heart and mind of the Spirit had to take place. We have to be reborn of the Spirit, and we must choose to die with Christ to sin.

There is also much teaching in scripture about us continuing in Christ and in his Word, keeping his ways, persevering, and putting off the flesh and putting on the Spirit as part of our daily walks of faith in Christ Jesus. We are not saved, in other words, just so when we die we escape hell and gain heaven. Jesus died so we would no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave himself up for us. His grace teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for his return. Jesus Christ gave himself up for us to “redeem us from ALL wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (See: Tit. 2:11-14; 2 Co. 5:15). In other words, we should be climbing up the steps, not going down them.

In order for us to maintain living for the Lord and doing what his Word teaches us, we must be consistently in his word, listening with our hearts to what his word says to us, and then we must obey what we have been taught. If we do sin, we must repent (turn from it) and keep trusting in our Lord, and following him and his ways. If we get trapped again, we need to confess our sin, and we need to turn away from it and follow Jesus. And, we must stay away from places that tempt us to sin against our Lord and that allure us to do wrong.

Open My Heart / An Original Work / July 2, 2013

“Be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil” (Rm. 16:19b).

Open my heart. Let Your truth in.

Make of me a servant, pure within;

Sing of Your praise all of my days.

Let Your Spirit transform all my ways.

Jesus Christ died on a cross to

Save me from my sin.

“Repent of sin. Be cleansed within.

Obey all of His commands today.”

“Why do you doubt? Why do you fear?

Jesus Christ will wipe away your tears.

He cares for you. He feels your pain.

Die to sin, and life with Him you’ll gain.

Follow Him where’er He leads you.

Talk with Him each day.

Then you will know what He has planned

For your life before your world began.”

“Come unto Me, weary in heart.

Let My love and grace to you impart.

Believe in Me. Trust in My care.

Take your burdens to the Lord in prayer.

He will meet all of your needs,

And give you peace within.

Rejoice in Him! Tell of His love.

He will give you comfort from above.”

http://originalworks.info/open-my-heart/

https://vimeo.com/116072845

The Tablet of Your Heart

Tuesday, January 20, 2015, 6:25 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “To Be Like Him.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Proverbs 3 (selected vs. NASB).

Let Your Heart

My son, do not forget my teaching,

But let your heart keep my commandments;

For length of days and years of life

And peace they will add to you.

Do not let kindness and truth leave you;

Bind them around your neck,

Write them on the tablet of your heart.

So you will find favor and good repute

In the sight of God and man. ~ vv. 1-4

When I was a child and a youth, we spent much time in church learning how to memorize scripture verses. I still remember many of the verses I learned as a child, which is good. They have come back to mind numerous times when that is just what I needed to hear. I would encourage young children to memorize as much as they can while they are still young, because they will more easily retain it for when they are old. It is much harder to memorize when you are old. And, we don’t retain things as well at this age. For me, it really helps me that the Lord Jesus saw fit to give me so many songs which were all based off scripture, because I remember words better when they are put to music. He often speaks to me through these songs. When I am going about my day, or when something is troubling me, or if I have a decision to make about something, I will hear a song playing in my mind, and when I listen for the words, they are just what I need to hear. God is so good!

Yet, we can memorize with our minds and it be nothing more than knowledge retained in our brains. What is most important is when the knowledge is then kept in our hearts, and through application it results in wisdom. Our hearts are the seat of emotion, compassion, kindness, affection, concern, courage, love, personality and will. So, when the Word of God (Christ’s teachings and instructions) is written on our hearts, it becomes applied knowledge, and it is acted out in our lives in how we treat God and others. As well, we can write about his word on physical tablets (electronic or paper), and we can sound all knowledgeable, but if his word is not written on “the tablet of our hearts,” then it is just knowledge, and it serves no valuable purpose other than to be there for when the Lord speaks and we are receptive to his voice, and we are willing to put his word into practice in our lives.

Trust the Lord

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

It will be healing to your body

And refreshment to your bones. ~ vv. 5-8

Human wisdom is not what we should value or seek after or rely upon. As humans, we are subject to failure. Not all humans have the mind of God on matters of the heart. We think in terms of this world only when we think with human understanding. What makes sense to us is not always in line with God’s ways. We tend to respond to what is seen (outward), and we don’t realize sometimes that God is working in ways that are unseen in our circumstances, and that he has greater purposes in mind for us than what our natural minds would ever imagine. So, rather than relying upon our own thinking and reasoning, we should trust the Lord, that he knows best, that he is completely sovereign over all things in our lives, and that he has it all worked out for his purposes and for his glory.

A huge problem exists within the modern church of today. It relies way too heavily upon human thinking and reasoning, and upon the counsel of humans for how to grow, conduct, and nurture the church. Books written by mere humans have replaced the Word of God or have superseded God’s instructions to us, in many instances. Rather than submitting to Jesus Christ as the head of the church, many church leaders are, instead, submitting themselves to humanistic philosophy and are following after business marketing schemes for how to grow their businesses, which they call “church.” Rather than the Spirit of God assigning body parts and giving gifts, humans determine who does what and where and when. Rather than the Spirit leading in worship, it is all human orchestrated in many of today’s modern churches. We need to get back to trusting in God, and relying upon the Holy Spirit, and to teaching the unadulterated Word of Truth!

Honor the Lord

Honor the Lord from your wealth

And from the first of all your produce;

So your barns will be filled with plenty

And your vats will overflow with new wine.

My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord

Or loathe His reproof,

For whom the Lord loves He reproves,

Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights. ~ vv. 9-12

In the Old Testament, it was taught that the people of God should tithe 10% of their income, and it was to be taken off the top, i.e. it was to be given first, and then the rest was to be what the people lived off of. This type of tithing is not taught in the New Testament specifically, from what I know, but many still follow this, and I do believe it is a good principle to follow. The New Testament still teaches giving, though, and to do so generously and sacrificially, as unto the Lord, and not grudgingly or under compulsion, but with willing hearts, desirous to obey the Lord Jesus in this matter of giving, and to meet the needs of the people. Many people believe this type of giving is on top of the tithe. As far as I am concerned, the Lord owns it all, and we should be good stewards of whatever he gives us, and we should always be generous and willing to obey him whenever he says to give.

I will express some concern here, though, in light of what this says when it says to honor the Lord with our wealth. So many people who tithe follow the Old Testament model of giving the tithe to the temple for the temple leaders to distribute as was customary. I know many people give to institutional churches which are nothing more than big business, and they believe they are giving to the Lord, but so much of that money is not being spent at all on what honors the Lord and on what spreads his gospel and ministers to the needs of the people, but so much goes to big edifices and expensive furnishings and to stage productions which are intended to draw in large crowds of people from the world. So, is this honoring God with our wealth? As well, we, as individuals, can be guilty of wasting money on junk that is intended only for our own entertainment and pleasure, and yet we give little to help others in need or to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Then You Will Walk

…Keep sound wisdom and discretion,

So they will be life to your soul

And adornment to your neck.

Then you will walk in your way securely

And your foot will not stumble.

When you lie down, you will not be afraid;

When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

Do not be afraid of sudden fear

Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes;

For the Lord will be your confidence

And will keep your foot from being caught. ~ vv. 21-26

In all that we do and say and are, we should continually exercise sound discernment and judgment, not being too quick to make rash or impetuous judgments or decisions. We should carefully examine such situations for which we need to make judgments, and to do so in prayer before our Lord, asking him for wisdom and inquiring of him as to what we should do or not do, with regard to areas that are not clearly spelled out for us in scripture. We should inquire of the Lord before spending money on anything not critical to the necessities of daily living, to make sure our purchases are what are honoring to him, and that are not just to gratify our own desires for pleasure. Now, he does give us all things to enjoy (all that comes from him), so he is not against us finding enjoyment in things, but he is against us seeking after self-pleasure and he is against whatever is contrary to his Word, and he does want us to honor him with our wealth, so we should ask him before spending.

Yet, obviously sound judgment and discernment is not to be confined to merely the subject of our finances. That is just one area where we need to exercise wisdom. We need to be careful about everything we do, think and say, to consider whether or not it honors and glorifies the Lord, or whether or not it dishonors him and defeats his will and purposes for our lives. I know I don’t always inquire of the Lord as I should, so God is speaking to me about this, too. I need to remember always that my life is not my own, and to put that into practice in all that I do. I sometimes still rely on my own judgment, and I can be impulsive, at times, and I need to not do that. That is rarely a good thing. I know that when I completely trust in the Lord in all that I do, that my mind is at rest, I am at peace, and I have complete confidence that God will work out all things in my life for my good. Yet, I am thankful that my God is forgiving, restoring, and that he gives much grace in time of need.

To Be Like Him / An Original Work

March 16, 2014 / Based off Scripture

Crucified you are with Jesus.

To be like Him, oh, you’ll be,

Because He died at Calv’ry,

So from sin you’d be free.

Oh, what joy He brings into your life,

Giving life with Him endlessly.

Oh, what plans He has for your life.

Share the gospel faithfully.

Show the people He loves them.

Now His witness you’ll be.

Tell the world of sin about Jesus,

How He died for them on a tree.

Purifying hearts, He saves them,

Who believe on Christ, God’s Son.

Turning now from their idols,

New lives they have begun.

Jesus saves from sin; we’re forgiven.

Over sin, the vict’ry He won!

When He comes again to take us

To be with Him evermore,

There will be no more crying.

Gladness will be in store.

Heavens joys will now overtake us:

We’ll be with our Lord evermore.

http://originalworks.info/to-be-like-him/

https://vimeo.com/89237609

Benefits of Wisdom

Monday, January 19, 2015, 7:25 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “May Christ Be Seen In Me.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Proverbs 2 (ESV).

If You Seek Wisdom

My son, if you accept my words

    and store up my commands within you,

turning your ear to wisdom

    and applying your heart to understanding—

indeed, if you call out for insight

    and cry aloud for understanding,

and if you look for it as for silver

    and search for it as for hidden treasure,

then you will understand the fear of the Lord

    and find the knowledge of God.

For the Lord gives wisdom;

    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

He holds success in store for the upright,

    he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

for he guards the course of the just

    and protects the way of his faithful ones.

First of all, if we are to apply these truths to our individual lives, we must know Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior of our lives. We must understand that we are born with sin natures, without hope, and without God, and that we are destined to spend eternity in the fires of hell. We must also know that Jesus Christ, God the Son, came to earth, took on human flesh, and walked the face of this earth as fully God yet as fully man. He suffered as we suffer, and he was tempted in like manner as we are tempted, yet without sin. He was loved by some, but hated by many, because he told people the truth about their sin, and because he claimed to be God, their Lord and promised Messiah. So, they hung him on a cross to die, as though he was a common criminal, although he had done no wrong but only good.

When he died, our sins died with him, and when he was resurrected back to life, he conquered death, hell, Satan and sin on our behalf so that we could be free of eternal damnation and have the hope of eternal life with God in glory; so we could be set free from bondage to sin on a day-to-day basis, and so we could be free to walk daily in Christ’s righteousness and holiness while we still walk the face of this earth. So, the way this is made possible in our lives is through faith in Jesus Christ. Involved in that faith is a forsaking of our former ways of living for sin and self, being born anew of the Spirit of God, and thus being given new lives in Christ Jesus – “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (See: Eph. 4:17-24; cf. Lu. 9:23-25; Ro. 6-8; Gal. 2:20). Then, as followers of Jesus Christ, we can apply these Biblical truths to our lives.

As his followers, he encourages us to seek wisdom, not just as is recorded in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament, too. Wisdom is applied knowledge. It is taking what we have learned into our minds and moving it to our hearts and then applying it to our lifestyles (our actions). Yet, we must also seek out wisdom and understanding from the Lord through prayer for insight, and via asking him to speak his messages to our hearts, because the Word of God is alive and it is active, and it still speaks specifically to our individual circumstances, to our particular and specific needs, and to his calling upon our unique lives.

If we seek out wisdom, then we will understand the fear of the Lord. To fear God means to show him respect, honor, value, esteem, praise, adoration, obedience, surrender, loyalty, devotion, reverence, worship and awe. It means we surrender our wills to the will of the Father, and that we realize that Jesus Christ bought us with his blood, so our lives are not our own any longer to be lived how we want, but they are to be under the Lordship (rule; control) of our Lord Jesus Christ, who determines our steps and what he wants for our lives. And, it means we give our lives to Christ as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, which is our reasonable service of worship of him, no longer conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but transformed of the Spirit of God in the renewing of our minds so that we can discern the good, pleasing and perfect will of God for our lives (See: Ro. 12:1-2).

Wisdom Will Save You

Then you will understand what is right and just

    and fair—every good path.

For wisdom will enter your heart,

    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

Discretion will protect you,

    and understanding will guard you.

Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,

    from men whose words are perverse,

who have left the straight paths

    to walk in dark ways,

who delight in doing wrong

    and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,

whose paths are crooked

    and who are devious in their ways.

Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,

    from the wayward woman with her seductive words,

who has left the partner of her youth

    and ignored the covenant she made before God.

Surely her house leads down to death

    and her paths to the spirits of the dead.

None who go to her return

    or attain the paths of life.

When we take the word of God, not just into our minds, but into our hearts, and we apply what it teaches us to our individual lives and circumstances, and thus we gain wisdom and understanding, it will save us and will protect us from wicked and sinful ways. We will desire and will follow after what is of God – what is righteous and holy and just. We won’t be easily persuaded by what is evil, to walk in the ways of this sinful world. And, we won’t be easily shaken by persecution and by Satan’s attempts to trap us, manipulate us, to deceive us, and to take us captive to do his will. No words, attitudes or actions of humans will deter us and cause us to leave the straight path and to follow the ways of our human flesh, or to convince us to believe lies over the truth. We will stand firm on the word of God and on what we know to be truth, and we will refuse to accept or to entertain any of Satan’s lies.

With regard to the adulterous woman, this can have multiple applications. For one, the adulterer can be male, female, or can be the church or any entity (human organization). For instance, yesterday we talked about how the church can be spiritually adulterous and idolatrous, and how she can lure, entice and deceive us into joining in with her in her spiritual adultery, and how we need to not give in to her enticements, but we must exercise wisdom and discernment so we recognize truth from lies, and what is of God from what is of evil. As well, in today’s work environment, often men and women work closely together and may even travel together, and this can present opportunities, as well, for adultery.

Yet, another way in which this may apply is via us watching TV and movies or by us listening to secular music. There is much allurement to have our minds wander off away from our spouses and away from our pure devotion to the Lord via these media outlets. So, we must be careful to avoid situations which may invite such allurement so we don’t give in, either to spiritual adultery against God or to romantic or sexual adultery against our spouses. Social networks and private internet access, free from accountability between marital partners, can also provide much allurement to pursue adulterous relationships with others, if we are not careful, and if we do not have our guard up (putting on daily the armor of God). Also, the adultery may not be with a real person, but could be via pornography, which can include sexual conversations or stories containing sexual or romantic enticement.

Then You Will Walk

Thus you will walk in the ways of the good

    and keep to the paths of the righteous.

For the upright will live in the land,

    and the blameless will remain in it;

but the wicked will be cut off from the land,

    and the unfaithful will be torn from it.

If we spend time in God’s word each day, though, sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to him speak his words into our hearts, and if we respond to what we hear by doing what the word says, and if we are proactive in keeping ourselves from opportunities to give in to the flesh, and if we respond to temptation by resisting Satan, fleeing temptation, and drawing near to God, then we will be able to walk in the ways of the Lord – on the straight and narrow path, and we will be able to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions. Only in the power and working of the Holy Spirit within us can any of this be accomplished, though. If we try to “be good” in our own strength, we are bound to fail. So, we must surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, submit to his will for our lives, and commit our ways to him.

May Christ Be Seen in Me / Percy Crawford

O Lord, I give myself to Thee, and all that I possess;

I lay aside my sinful pride and claim Thy righteousness,

My will lies shattered at Thy feet, I pray Thy will be done,

My only plea to live for Thee and magnify Thy Son.

O may I count all gain but loss, save as to Thee 'tis gain;

Let me not shun the promised cross, nor shirk to suffer pain,

Then lead me, Lord, up Calv'ry's hill, forth to the cross with Thee,

And there pour out my life with God, As Thou didst Lord for me.

O humbly may I serve Thee, Lord, as in Thy will I tread; 

And may I live anew in Christ, as risen from the dead. 

Then closely walking by Thy side, may love flow out thro' me,

That those whom Thou shalt lead my way may, too, find life in Thee.

May Christ be seen in me, O Lord,

Hear Thou my earnest plea; 

O take me, fill me, use me, Lord,

Till Christ be seen in me.

If Sinners Entice

Sunday, January 18, 2015, 6:30 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put this song in mind:

Near the Cross / Fanny J. Crosby / William H. Doane

Jesus, keep me near the cross; there a precious fountain,

Free to all, a healing stream, flows from Calvary's mountain.

Near the cross! O Lamb of God, bring its scenes before me;

Help me walk from day to day with its shadow o'er me.

In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever,

Till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.

Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Proverbs 1 (selected verses ESV).

Wisdom and Instruction

The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

To know wisdom and instruction,

    to understand words of insight,

to receive instruction in wise dealing,

    in righteousness, justice, and equity;

to give prudence to the simple,

    knowledge and discretion to the youth—

Let the wise hear and increase in learning,

    and the one who understands obtain guidance,

to understand a proverb and a saying,

    the words of the wise and their riddles.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;

    fools despise wisdom and instruction.

I think sometimes we confuse wisdom with knowledge, yet wisdom is knowledge coupled with understanding, and coupled with practical application of that knowledge to our lives. James said it well when he said that if we hear the word, but we don’t put it into practice in our lives, then we are like someone who looks at himself in the mirror and then walks away and forgets what he looks like. We are self-deceived. So, he concludes that we need to be not only hearers of the word, but we need to be doers of the word. This is wisdom.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. To fear the Lord means to walk in his truth and in his ways, and to show him the honor and respect which he so deserves by not only listening to him, but by obeying what his word says. It means to leave our lives of sin behind us, to be born anew of the Spirit of God, and then to walk in the Spirit, in holiness, purity, and with integrity - in the power and strength of the Spirit within us. If we do not walk in the fear of the Lord, but instead we pick and choose what we will do or not do for God, and we are still running our own lives, then we act foolishly, this Word teaches us.

Do Not Consent

My son, if sinners entice you,

    do not consent.

If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood;

    let us ambush the innocent without reason…

throw in your lot among us;

    we will all have one purse”—

my son, do not walk in the way with them;

    hold back your foot from their paths,

for their feet run to evil,

    and they make haste to shed blood…

Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;

    it takes away the life of its possessors.

I have learned recently that there are people who take issue with this term “sinner” in relation to Christians, stating that we are not sinners saved by grace, but we are saints, and thus we are no longer sinners. Whatever you believe on that issue, the reality of the situation is that believers in Jesus Christ still have the propensity to sin, and we do still sin at times, although sin should no longer be our master, and we should no longer be enslaved to it, nor should we willingly be giving in to it, especially on a regular basis, because Jesus Christ died to deliver us from bondage to sin. He has set us free!

So, as believers in Jesus Christ, not only can we still sin, but we can also lead others to sin. So, when this speaks of “sinners” enticing us to sin, don’t be fooled into thinking this is merely referring to those outside of faith (or professed faith) in Jesus Christ. Some of the worst deception and enticement exists right within the church (or within the organization called church). So, we should have our guard up even among those whom we think would never try to get us to disobey our Lord or who we think would never lead us to evil. One of the greatest deceptions and enticements I know of exists within the church, and that is to make people believe they don’t have to give up their sins to believe in Jesus Christ. Wow!

Within the modern church of today the world has crept, and it has taken over so that there is not much distinction at all between the church and the world. That mindset is being passed on to the people within the church, especially to this younger generation which has not known anything differently. They want to be attractive to the world, so they compromise with the world and dilute the gospel to make everything more acceptable and appealing, so the world will want to join in with them in their meetings. They market the church just like big business, which uses lies, deceptions, manipulation and trickery to entice people to come to their gatherings and to join in with them in their mockery of true faith and worship.

In a sense, the modern church of today represents Babylon, and God is calling his people to come out of her and to not share in any of her sins, so that they also do not share in her punishment. The Lord is telling his people to not walk in the ways of this adulterous and idolatrous church which is running after “other lovers,” and which is discarding the Lord as the head of the church and his Word as the instructions to follow, and which is casting aside those of his followers who still hold to the truths of scripture and who do not deny the Lord.

Because You Refuse

Because I have called and you refused to listen,

    have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,

because you have ignored all my counsel

    and would have none of my reproof,

I also will laugh at your calamity;

    I will mock when terror strikes you,

when terror strikes you like a storm

    and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,

    when distress and anguish come upon you.

Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;

    they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

Because they hated knowledge

    and did not choose the fear of the Lord,

would have none of my counsel

    and despised all my reproof,

therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,

    and have their fill of their own devices.

For the simple are killed by their turning away,

    and the complacency of fools destroys them;

but whoever listens to me will dwell secure

    and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

I believe these words can be applied to 3 groups of people: 1) Those who have refused to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, 2) Those who have professed to believe, but who never repented of sin and did not turn to follow the Lord in obedience, and 3) Those who did believe in Jesus but have since wandered off to follow after the ways of this sinful world. Our God and Lord Jesus Christ has been calling for all 3 of these groups of people to repent of their sin and to turn (or to return) to their Lord and to make him their only God. Yet, many have refused, which is evidenced by their heart responses to God and by their actions.

This is a warning of judgment (divine discipline and correction). This is not merely Old Testament teaching, though. The New Testament is also filled with warnings to these 3 groups of people, and especially to the church, calling them to repent and to turn or to return to their Lord, leaving their idols behind them (See: Rev. 2-3, for example).

If You Return

“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?

How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing

    and fools hate knowledge?

If you turn at my reproof,

behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;

    I will make my words known to you.

Yet, to those who love the Lord, love wisdom, listen to the Word, and do what it says, and to those who listen to these warnings and these calls for repentance and turn at the Lord’s reproof, he will pour out his Spirit on us and will make his words known to us. Amen!

Yet, this does not means we will have it easy or that we won’t ever be disciplined by the Lord, because he said he disciplines those he loves - those who are his children. It also does not mean we will be free from strife, or calamity, or disaster happening all around us, because we live in a sinful world, and we live in flesh bodies, and because the Lord uses difficult situations in our lives to mature us, purify us, make us holy, and to teach us patience and endurance. Yet, what it does mean is that we will have his peace within, he will give us his strength and wisdom, and we will be secure in him, without fear, and we will be able to continue to live and to walk in his ways even if all hell breaks loose all around us, because our focus is on him, our trust is in him, and because our security is found in him.

I Will Lift My Eyes / An Original Work / December 12, 2012

Based off Psalms 121-125

I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.

My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.

He will not let your foot slip, and He who watches will not sleep.

Our Lord watches over you, and your life He will keep.

I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.

My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.

I give thanks to Him.

I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.

I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n.

Because of His great love for us, He made us alive with Christ.

Through the kindness of our Savior, He gave us new life.

I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.

I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n;

My home, now in heav’n.

Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.

Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.

Those who trust will ne’er be shaken. God will supply all we need.

Our Lord has done great things for us. He’s our friend, indeed!

Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.

Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.

I can count on Him.

http://originalworks.info/i-will-lift-my-eyes-2/

https://vimeo.com/112516626

Support for The Afflicted

Saturday, January 17, 2015, 6:29 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “He Keeps Me Singing.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Psalm 146-147 (selected NASB).

Not Trust Humans

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

I will praise the Lord while I live;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Do not trust in princes,

In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.

His spirit departs, he returns to the earth;

In that very day his thoughts perish. ~ Ps. 146:1-4

It is good for us to praise the Lord, especially during times when life kicks us hard. It lifts our spirits, and changes our perspective, and fills us with hope, encouragement, strength and healing. It helps us to get our focus of attention off of humans, and off of our trials and tribulations and onto the Lord. It also helps us to focus our trust on the Lord instead of on humans, or most especially when humans fail us, desert us, hurt us or betray us.

Human beings live in flesh bodies, thus they are still subject to weakness, temptation and have the propensity to sin against God and against us, or us against them. Even Christians are still clay vessels who are weak and frail, and who sometimes lack strength, courage, wisdom and discernment. We are all capable of sin. We all have the ability to hurt and to disappoint one another. Humans sometimes lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery, betray, and do all kinds of evil. Other times they do good and are kind, thoughtful, helpful and loving.

Thus, we cannot put our hope and trust in humans in the same way in which we put our hope and trust in God. We should not depend on them to “save” us in any way. We should not look to politicians or to pastors or to our “heroes” to “save” us, because we may wake up one morning and learn that they lied to us, and what we thought was the truth was really one huge deception. The Bible teaches us that we are to test everything. We need to stop being so gullible in believing everything we read, hear or see, and we need to examine what people tell us against the Word of God and in prayer, asking our Lord for wisdom.

Trust in God

How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

Whose hope is in the Lord his God,

Who made heaven and earth,

The sea and all that is in them;

Who keeps faith forever;

Who executes justice for the oppressed;

Who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free.

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind… ~ Ps. 146:5-8a

Our trust needs to be in our Lord God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is our ONLY Savior! He is the only one who truly knows us, and who is truth, and who will not lie to us or betray us. He is our creator. Even before he formed us in the wombs of our mothers he knew us and he had a plan for our lives (See: Ps. 139; Jer. 1). He is the only one never lacking in integrity, who keeps his promises, who will never fail or desert us, and who always has our best interest in mind. His motives are always pure. He will never tempt us to sin or lead (encourage) us to sin. He is completely righteous in all that he is and does.

God/Jesus will not give us false hope. He will not butter us up and flatter us in order to make us feel good about ourselves just so we will like him. He will not entertain us and make us laugh just so we think he is a good guy. He will not tickle our ears with pleasing messages just so that we don’t get offended, or just so we will accept him and will want to be in meetings with others who call themselves Christians. He won’t be our buddy and sweet talk us and avoid telling us the truth about our sin in order to be “polite” and “kind.”

No! God/Jesus will tell us the truth, because he wants us to be completely FREE from the weight and the control of sin over our lives. In order to free people who are in prison to sin and to open the eyes of the spiritually blind, he tells us the truth. He died on the cross for our sins, not just so we could escape hell and go to heaven when we die. He died so we would die with him to our old lives of living for sin and self, so we would be born anew of the Spirit of God, and so we would live for him in his righteousness and holiness, no longer conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God to walk in the ways of the Lord in faithful obedience and surrender to God/Jesus (See: Ro. 6-8; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24; 2 Co. 5:15; Tit. 2:11-14; & 1 Jn. 1-5).

He Heals Brokenhearted

Praise the Lord!

For it is good to sing praises to our God;

For it is pleasant and praise is becoming.

The Lord builds up Jerusalem;

He gathers the outcasts of Israel.

He heals the brokenhearted

And binds up their wounds.

He counts the number of the stars;

He gives names to all of them.

Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;

His understanding is infinite.

The Lord supports the afflicted;

He brings down the wicked to the ground. ~ Ps. 147:1-6

Our God loves those who are his very own possession; his people; his church. He cares about us and what we are going through. Yes, he allows us to go through difficult times and to face hardship and persecution and to be rejected and to face sorrow and grief. Yet, he does so because in this way he matures us, purifies us and he conforms us into the image of Jesus Christ. Jesus, as sinless and perfect as he was, learned obedience through the things he suffered. And we, too, learn obedience through the things we suffer, if we are willing, and if we will submit to our Lord in our suffering instead of rebel in anger.

Through all the suffering and trials of life we must endure, though, our Lord is ever present with us. He will never leave us or forsake us. He allowed these situations to take place in our lives for a purpose, and he will work out all things for good (for our best) for those who love him and who have been called according to his purpose (See: Ro. 8:28). Although he may not remove us from the difficult situations, he promises to bring comfort and healing to our minds, emotions, and spirits. He will give us all we need to live godly and holy lives even in the midst of great turmoil. He promises to give us strength, courage, hope and perseverance, and some of that comes through our trials.

When others forsake us, our Lord lets us know that he will never abandon us. When others hurt us, he provides us with joy and healing, and he gives purpose in it all. He is the best “survival kit” ever known to man, because he knows the end from the beginning, he is all powerful, and he is all knowing and ever present everywhere all at the same time. Since he created us, he knows us inside and out. He has everything we need to make it through these conflicts and complications of life, which are bound to come from time to time. He is with us and in us and he completes us. He is our all in all! We will never know a better friend than him ever!

Fear Him

He does not delight in the strength of the horse;

He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.

The Lord favors those who fear Him,

Those who wait for His lovingkindness. ~ Ps. 147:10-11

Our God is love! He is our loving Father, compassionate Lord, and faithful friend. In relationship with us, he treats us just like we are his children, which we are if we have believed in Jesus as Lord and as Savior of our lives. So, when we think of our relationship with him, we should image a truly loving and just parent who does not spoil the child, but is willing to lovingly discipline when necessary, and to correct where needed, but who also offers much training, encouragement, affection, hope, comfort and healing, too. This parent sets reasonable boundaries for safety, sets rules, assigns chores, and expects obedience. The parent teaches the child to respect and to honor him or her, as well.

Now, if we can just translate this picture of a loving parent over to our loving Lord, we will then have a good picture of what God is like in relation to us. Imagine with me for a moment a scenario where a parent tells his or her child to do something but the child decides to do something else instead. The child may even pick another good thing, in fact, but not what the parent required or requested of the child. A loving and just parent will desire the child to do what he or she asked. Well, it is the same way with God. So many people want to just “do” for God what they are willing to do, but then they don’t do what he asks them to do. They set their own rules, and they decide their own limits, and they control how much they will give to God and how much they won’t.

Yet, that is not the way it is supposed to work, in a home between parents and children, or else the children might become spoiled and self-indulgent and disrespectful to their parents, or in our relationship with God, with us as the children, and with him as the parent. He does not want what we will do for him in our own strength and will power. He wants our obedience. He wants our all on the altar. He desires that we be surrendered to him, dead to ourselves, and living for him and for his righteousness. It does not matter how many good deeds we do. They will not save us. We are saved when we submit ourselves to the cross of Christ, repent of our sins, and we surrender our lives to the control of our Lord God. This is what it means to believe in Jesus Christ, and this is what it means to walk in the fear of the Lord. Our lives are no longer our own. We were bought with a price. I am His, and He is mine. Amen!

Have Thine Own Way, Lord / Adelaide A. Pollard, 1862-1934

George C. Stebbins, 1846-1945 / Tune: ADELAIDE, Meter: 54.54 D

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Thou art the potter, I am the clay.

Mold me and make me after Thy will,

While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Search me and try me, Master, today!

Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,

As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Wounded and weary, help me I pray!

Power, all power, surely is Thine!

Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Hold o'er my being absolute sway.

Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see

Christ only, always, living in me! 

On Level Ground

Thursday, January 15, 2015, 8:30 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “My Cry for Mercy.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Psalm 140-143 (selected NASB).

Rescue Me

Rescue me, O Lord, from evil men;

Preserve me from violent men

Who devise evil things in their hearts;

They continually stir up wars.

They sharpen their tongues as a serpent;

Poison of a viper is under their lips. Selah. ~ Ps. 140:1-3

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;

Keep watch over the door of my lips.

Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,

To practice deeds of wickedness

With men who do iniquity;

And do not let me eat of their delicacies. ~ Ps. 141:3-4

There are two main ways the enemy of our souls comes against us as individual followers of Jesus Christ. One is through attacking us physically, emotionally or spiritually to try to discredit, injure or to destroy us; to try to get us to be discouraged, and to hope that we will give up. The other is to deceive us, lure us and to tempt us to sin against our Lord. Yet temptation can be involved in either one, as well as deception is also involved in both.

From my own experience I can say that if Satan cannot get us to stop following Jesus with our lives, to stop sharing the gospel, and to, instead, follow him and to go back into sin, then he will pull out all the stops to lie against, mock, persecute, and bring false charges against us, in hopes that he can destroy our reputations, convince others to not listen to us, and/or to put doubts and fears into our minds and hearts. He is a master at deception and the twisting and manipulation of truth, and with using an accusing and lying tongue against us. And, he uses humans to do his dirty work, too.

So, what should our response be to his wicked schemes he uses against us? Well, first of all we must call on the Lord in prayer and ask for his help – for guidance, wisdom, discernment and the grace to respond correctly. We also need the strength of the Lord and the power of the Spirit within us so that we respond in the right way. If we try to handle this in our own wisdom and strength, we are bound to fail. We need to pray for our Lord Jesus to work miracles in our hearts and in our situations, and to move mightily to change hearts, even or most especially our own. And, we need to submit to his sovereign will over our lives. As well, we need to pray for restraint so that we don’t say more than what needs to be said.

Daily we must put on the armor of God (See: Eph. 6:10-20), with which to fight off Satan’s evil attacks against us. What this means is that when he lies to us or against us, we answer back with the truth. When he casts doubts our way, we respond back with unswerving faith. When he tries to twist the truth or to deceive us, we respond with the Word of God. When he tries to discourage us, we respond with perseverance and determination. When he tries to tempt us to sin, we respond by fleeing temptation and continuing to live and to walk in Christ’s righteousness. And, when he tries to lure us or to shame us into spiritual compromise, we respond with undivided hearts and loyalty to our ONLY God.

My Cry For Mercy / An Original Work / October 31, 2013

Based off Psalm 86

Hear my prayer, Lord, I am needy.

Guard my life, for I’m devoted to You.

Save me! I’m Your servant.

You are my God. I trust in You.

O, Lord, have mercy on me,

For I call to You.

Bring joy to me, for to You

I will lift up my soul.

You are giving and forgiving.

You abound in love to all who

Call upon You. Hear my prayer, Lord.

Listen to my cry for mercy.

In days of trouble I call to You,

Knowing that You will

Do marvelous things,

Because You are my God.

Teach me Your way; I’ll walk in it.

In Your truth, Lord, You will guide me.

A pure heart, Lord, You will give me,

So that I may glorify You.

Turn to me, Lord, and grant

Strength to Your servant.

O, Lord, You are my help,

For You love and You comfort me.

Teach me Your way; I’ll walk in it.

In Your truth, Lord, You will guide me.

A pure heart, Lord, You will give me,

So that I may glorify You.

http://originalworks.info/my-cry-for-mercy/

https://vimeo.com/114690984

Teach Me

Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning;

For I trust in You;

Teach me the way in which I should walk;

For to You I lift up my soul.

Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies;

I take refuge in You.

Teach me to do Your will,

For You are my God;

Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

For the sake of Your name, O Lord, revive me.

In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble. ~ Ps. 143:8-11

Oh, how I love my Lord and his Word. I want to follow him in all my ways, not because I have to, but because I want to; because I love him. I know he loves me, and I know he is with me all the time. He never leaves my side. He is always there encouraging, giving me hope, strengthening, comforting, teaching, instructing, correcting and urging me on to live for him. I believe in him and I trust him with my life. I know that in all these trials and tribulations that he has a plan and a purpose, and that he will use it all for his purposes and for his glory. I just have to rest in him, believing that he has my best interest in mind always.

I want to know his will for my life, and I want to walk in his ways and in his truth. I don’t want to respond to Satan’s attacks against me in the flesh, but in the Spirit. So, I pray that he will teach me the way in which I should walk and how to know and to do his will. I want to be led on level ground, and for him to put a guard over my mouth so that I don’t speak things he does not want me to speak, whether good or bad. I need wisdom and discernment to know how to respond to Satan’s evil attacks against me. And, I need strength of spirit, too, so that I don’t lose heart.

In Keeping Them / An Original Work / June 3, 2014

Based off Ps. 111:10; 19:7-11

Stand in awe of your Lord.

Harken to His teachings.

Follow where He leads you.

Live for Him today.

Through Him you gain wisdom;

Knowledge; understanding.

To my Lord belongs all

Worship and my praise.

Perfect is the Word,

Refreshing souls in His love.

His commands are faithful,

Guiding us each day.

Joy comes to the heart of

Those who love His teachings;

Follow His instructions.

He will light their way.

Abide in the Lord, and

Obey His commandments.

His Word is more precious

Than all of our gold.

By His Word He warns us,

Comforts, and implores us.

When we follow His Word,

There is great reward.

http://originalworks.info/in-keeping-them/

https://vimeo.com/97324081