Sweet Nothings?

Psalm 119:161-164 ESV

Princes persecute me without cause,

    but my heart stands in awe of your words.

I rejoice at your word

    like one who finds great spoil.

I hate and abhor falsehood,

    but I love your law.

Seven times a day I praise you

    for your righteous rules.

Lies Are Never Kind

I hate lies. Satan is the author of lies. That is how he gets people trapped in sin, for he lies to them, and he tells them they deserve to do what their flesh desires. He whispers in their ears sweet nothings which convince them that sin is their friend, and that it is what they need. He also persuades professing Christians that they can sin as much as they want and still claim heaven as their home.

The problem is when people believe Satan’s lies and they tell themselves the same lies, and then they believe them, and then they tell them to others. And, one of Satan’s big lies is to convince people, as well, that lying is perfectly acceptable. Or, he gets them convinced that telling lies is actually kind, and it is “nice,” but there is nothing kind or nice about lying to people.

And, lying to people is also a form of persecution, for to willfully lie to anyone can cause undue suffering to come upon them. Either they will believe the lies, and will act on the lies, which can cause them harm, or else they will know they are being lied to, which is a form of betrayal, and they will know they are being betrayed, and that will injure them emotionally.

So, if we are being lied to, and if we are being betrayed, and we know it, we need to take that to the Lord in prayer, and we need to place our burdens at his feet and rest in him. We need to forgive our persecutors, and continue to love our enemies, even if they despitefully use us for their own evil purposes. And, we need to stand on the truth of God’s Word and always make that our delight.

Psalm 119:165-168 ESV

Great peace have those who love your law;

    nothing can make them stumble.

I hope for your salvation, O Lord,

    and I do your commandments.

My soul keeps your testimonies;

    I love them exceedingly.

I keep your precepts and testimonies,

    for all my ways are before you.

Love for God’s Word

Not everyone loves the law of God – His Word – His instructions to us, his people – his church. Those who have bought into Satan’s lies do not love the law of God. In fact, many who call themselves Christians do not love God’s Word for they do not believe they have to obey God’s Word. They think being saved from their sins means they are forgiven of their sins and now they get to go to heaven when they die, but that they don’t have to obey God.

They have no spiritual fervor for the Lord, because they have believed the lie which says that faith in Jesus Christ is a mere acknowledgment of who Jesus is and what he did for us, and it is accepting his payment for our sin so that we are forgiven, but it stops short there. They believe the lie and thus they are not committed to the cross of Christ, the Word of God, or to submission to Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives. Thus, they do not believe they must turn from their lives of sin to follow our Lord Jesus in obedience to His Word.

Thus, they have no true peace, for they have not the dedication to live lives of purity, either. Thus, they continue to stumble, because they are not committed to obedience, purity, righteousness and holiness. They want the easy way out, instead. They want their resurrection without the cross, in other words, but it doesn’t work that way. We must die first with Christ in order to live with him. True life comes from first dying to the old life.

But, great peace have those who love the Word of God, and who honor it, and who honor, respect and obey their Lord. For to love God is to obey him, and to love his word is to obey it, too. If we refuse to obey, then we don’t truly love God or his Word. So, if we want peace, and we want victory over sin, then we have to love God and His Word, and we have to walk in obedience to our Lord and do what He says, and not hold anything back.

Psalm 119:169-172 ESV

Let my cry come before you, O Lord;

    give me understanding according to your word!

Let my plea come before you;

    deliver me according to your word.

My lips will pour forth praise,

    for you teach me your statutes.

My tongue will sing of your word,

    for all your commandments are right.

The Way to Deliverance

Many people call out to God when they feel trapped, or when they want help with something, but not everyone is willing to do what it takes to be free and to truly be helped. They say they want help, but they are just playing games. They say they want God to hear their prayers, and that they want his guidance and direction, but then they refuse to do what He says.

I have known many people in my life who claim to be Christians but who feel trapped in sin, and who say they want to walk in freedom and in victory over sin, but when “the rubber meets the road” the truth of the matter really comes out. In theory they want to walk in victory, but not in reality. For, they are not willing to cut out of their lives what leads them into sin. They are not willing to proactively do what is necessary to guard their hearts against the temptation to sin, either.

Instead, they play with fire, and then they act surprised when they get burned. They may claim that Satan got to them through a side or a back door, but it is the same door every time. They just never shut the door and put a lock on it, and so the door is still accessible. And, the devil is not stupid. He knows this. Thus, they keep falling into the same sinful traps because they are not willing to take the way out God provided for them.

So, if we want understanding from God’s Word, then we need to listen intently to what His Word says, and then, by God’s grace, we need to do what it says. We need to walk in truth and no longer give way to lies. We need to walk in purity, and no longer leave any opportunity for the flesh. And, then we will have understanding. And then we will have deliverance.

Psalm 119:173-176 ESV

Let your hand be ready to help me,

    for I have chosen your precepts.

I long for your salvation, O Lord,

    and your law is my delight.

Let my soul live and praise you,

    and let your rules help me.

I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant,

    for I do not forget your commandments.

Long for His Salvation

If we want help from the Lord, we must choose to love His Word and to do what it says. And, we must long for Him and for his salvation.

And know this, that our salvation is not just forgiveness of sins and the hope of heaven when we die. For, Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. That, my friends, is the true picture of our salvation. We must leave our lives of sin behind us if we want to follow Jesus with our lives and have eternal life with God in heaven (Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24).

If we want God’s help, we must love his Word, and to love His Word is to obey it; to do what it says, i.e. to obey the Words spoken by our Lord Jesus and his New Testament apostles, in particular, as is applicable to our lives.

So, if you have gone astray, and right now his commands are not truly your delight, then I pray you will turn from your sins today, and that today you will choose to walk in the love of our Lord Jesus, and in his power and strength within you. By his grace, I pray that you will resist Satan, flee temptation, and draw near to God in full assurance of faith. And, I pray that daily you will put on the armor of God (Eph. 6:10-20) with which to fight off Satan’s evil schemes against you. For, Jesus died to set us free from sin.

Near the Cross 

Hymn lyrics by Fanny J. Crosby, 1869

Music by William H. Doane, 1869

Jesus, keep me near the cross;

There a precious fountain,

Free to all, a healing stream,

Flows from Calvary's mountain.

Near the cross, a trembling soul,

Love and mercy found me;

There the bright and morning star

Sheds its beams around me.

          

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.

Near the cross I'll watch and wait,

Hoping, trusting ever,

Till I reach the golden strand

Just beyond the river.

        

In the cross, in the cross,

Be my glory ever,

Till my raptured soul shall find

Rest beyond the river.

*copyright status is public domain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BasJqHsCIo4

Saturday, August 25, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus, that in Your power and strength within those of us who are truly Yours by faith, we can walk in victory over sin and we can live and walk in Your holiness. Amen!

My Special Place

Psalm 116:1-4 ESV

I love the Lord, because he has heard

    my voice and my pleas for mercy.

Because he inclined his ear to me,

    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

The snares of death encompassed me;

    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;

    I suffered distress and anguish.

Then I called on the name of the Lord:

    “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”

Analogy

I shared in a previous writing how I had prayed to the Lord and had asked him for a place where I could work for him where it was quiet and free from distractions, a place where I could get alone with God and can also write music, too, for I have not been able to do that for nearly 2 years. And, he answered that prayer immediately, and supplied a 2-bedroom apartment where I could have that special room. We moved in a week ago.

I knew that this special place he was providing for me was to be dedicated to the Lord through and through, down to the furniture, and the pictures, etc., which were all to glorify God and to proclaim his gospel message.

Everything that I ordered for this room arrived on time except for the box springs and mattress for the bed. They were not delivered, as promised, and I was not even notified as to why. And, when I tried to get information on when I could expect them, I was given the run-around by various people, and it went nowhere. A week later I still had no box springs or mattress.

So, I prayed to the Lord, and I asked him what I should do, and I believe he led me to call the delivery people and to ask if we could just drive to where they were and if we could pick them up and bring them home. The person I spoke with on the phone said that was ok, so off we went to get the final two pieces to complete my new room.

But, when we arrived, all they had for me was the box springs. The mattress was missing. In fact, it turned out that they knew it was missing from the start, but they never told me. They just left me hanging.

So, I believe the Lord sent me up there to get the bed pieces so that I could learn the fact that the mattress was missing, so that I could then refuse the half-bed (no mattress included) and ask for a refund, so that I could go elsewhere to purchase what I needed, and that is what I did. And, now the special place God has given to me is complete.

Psalm 116:5-9 ESV

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;

    our God is merciful.

The Lord preserves the simple;

    when I was brought low, he saved me.

Return, O my soul, to your rest;

    for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

For you have delivered my soul from death,

    my eyes from tears,

    my feet from stumbling;

I will walk before the Lord

    in the land of the living.

So Much More

But, my new special place is so much more than just a place of quiet where I can work for the Lord. For, the Lord is using my special room and my situation here to represent his gospel message and to expose the liars and deceivers who fail to deliver anyone’s souls from hell. For, they deliver only half-truth gospels, like the box springs without the mattress, and like the people who kept the truth from me about the mattress being missing.

For, you see, the false gospel is like my bed frame was without the box springs or mattress inside, for it was just a shell with no real substance. Or else it is like the box springs without the mattress, i.e. only half a bed, only half of the gospel, with the most critical part missing. For, a bed can be a bed if it is only a mattress, and the floor is the only foundation, but without the mattress it fails to be a bed. And, the gospel fails to be the gospel if it is missing the “guts” of it, i.e. the most critical parts, too.

So, what is the most critical part that is missing from the gospel that many of these liars and thieves are not delivering? It is that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. It is that our salvation means death, but not just Jesus’ death on a cross, but us dying daily to sin and self. And, it is us walking according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh if we want to have eternal life with God. For, Jesus died to deliver our souls from Sheol and to deliver us from our slavery to sin, and he lives that we might live with him in holiness and righteousness and purity, too.

Psalm 116:10-11 ESV

I believed, even when I spoke:

    “I am greatly afflicted”;

I said in my alarm,

    “All mankind are liars.”

So Many Liars

Sometimes I wonder if anyone tells the truth anymore. Lies and deception abound. They seem to be common practice everywhere I go. So many people wear masks, i.e. facades to hide the real them from anyone knowing who they really are. So many people I meet are so surface level, seemingly without any real depth to them. Sometimes I wonder if anyone is real anymore, or if most people are just playing games. Sad, I know, but true.

These people who were supposed to deliver my box springs and mattress kept the truth from me about the mattress being missing, and they did not bother to contact me to let me know about it, either. I had to contact them, but I kept being told that I would receive a phone call with a new delivery date, but that never happened, because they didn’t have the merchandise to deliver. Only because the Lord led me to go see for myself did I learn the truth.

And, that is the way it is with the false grace gospel, too. It is about hiding the truth from people, because they who are hiding the truth do not have the merchandise to deliver people from hell and from their slavery to sin. So, they have to avoid telling the truth, and they cover it with lies. They don’t possess the necessary piece because they are thieves and robbers who have climbed into the sheep pen by a way other than Jesus Christ. And, so they can’t deliver anyone from their bondage to sin, because they themselves are not free.

Psalm 116:12-14 ESV

What shall I render to the Lord

    for all his benefits to me?

I will lift up the cup of salvation

    and call on the name of the Lord,

I will pay my vows to the Lord

    in the presence of all his people.

Precious in the sight of the Lord

    is the death of his saints.

O Lord, I am your servant;

    I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.

    You have loosed my bonds.

I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving

    and call on the name of the Lord.

I will pay my vows to the Lord

    in the presence of all his people,

in the courts of the house of the Lord,

    in your midst, O Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord!

Death of the Saints

You see, the false grace gospel does not teach death to sin and living to righteousness, nor does it teach faithfulness, obedience, surrender and repentance. It is an empty shell with no “guts” inside, and it is a half-truth gospel with the most critical component missing. For, true faith in Jesus Christ is total surrender to Jesus Christ to be Lord (owner-master) of our lives. It is daily dying to sin and self and living to our Lord and to his righteousness. It is us being the Lord’s servants, and him our master.

Because these liars and thieves are teaching this half-truth gospel, they are giving permission for their followers to still follow after the lusts of their flesh while promising them heaven when they die. But, that is a false hope based on a lie. They are permitting them to let go of their purity and to live in impurity in “the house of the rising sun,” which is a house of prostitution. But, God is saying “NO!” He is anguished over this. His grace does not permit us to walk in impurity and still have the promise of heaven.

His grace, which brings salvation, teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly (fleshly) passions (lusts), and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s soon return (Tit. 2:11-14). His grace, contrary to what these deceivers are saying, is not just forgiveness of sins and a get-out-of-jail-free card. His grace puts our sin to death! Our salvation means death, and then life comes from that death.

So, please know and believe the truth, for your future depends on it. Your life depends on it. For the truth will set you free. The lies will send you straight to hell while promising you heaven as your eternal destiny. Stop believing the lies, even if they sound good, and start believing what the Bible teaches (See: Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8, etc.).

So, what is my special place, truly? It is in the arms of my Lord Jesus, in surrender to him and to his will for my life, doing what he has called me to do. It is Christ in me the hope of glory, and me in him, living my life for Him.

My Sheep 

An Original Work / June 24, 2012 

Based off John 10:1-18 NIV

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full…

They know my voice, so they follow me.

https://vimeo.com/114938263

Friday, August 24, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus! I love you!!

The Lord, My Stronghold

Psalm 94:1-7 ESV

O Lord, God of vengeance,

    O God of vengeance, shine forth!

Rise up, O judge of the earth;

    repay to the proud what they deserve!

O Lord, how long shall the wicked,

    how long shall the wicked exult?

They pour out their arrogant words;

    all the evildoers boast.

They crush your people, O Lord,

    and afflict your heritage.

They kill the widow and the sojourner,

    and murder the fatherless;

and they say, “The Lord does not see;

    the God of Jacob does not perceive.”

A Cry for Mercy

Oh, how very much I get this! This is the cry of the afflicted, asking God for deliverance from the power and the oppression of the wicked. This is a heart cry to God for mercy, for relief from suffering. But, it is much more than that. It is a cry for God to deliver from the influences of the wicked over the righteous, too, and for him to expose the wicked deeds of those who pretend to be righteous but who are leading God’s people astray.

For, there are two ways in which the wicked are presently assailing God’s people, the church. One is through physical persecution, literally killing people because of their faith in Jesus Christ or severely persecuting them physically, verbally, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

This persecution may come through false accusations, firing people from jobs, denying them the basic necessities of life, falsely imprisoning them, raping them, stealing from them their personal properties, and via destruction of their property. Or, it may come through harassment, much like the Pharisees did to Jesus where they were constantly on his trail trying to find a way to accuse him and/or to trip him up with his words, etc.

The other way in which the wicked are assailing God’s people is through deception, i.e. through wolves in sheep’s clothing who are pretending to be servants of righteousness when they are not. They are liars and deceivers who take advantage of the weak and the naïve.

They are in positions of shepherding the people of God via the pastorate in churches or via the governments of the people or via the media or via educational institutions. And, they are leading people astray in very large numbers, at least here in America they are. And, they do feel a sense of empowerment because God has not yet judged them for their wickedness.

Psalm 94:8-11 ESV

Understand, O dullest of the people!

    Fools, when will you be wise?

He who planted the ear, does he not hear?

He who formed the eye, does he not see?

He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke?

He who teaches man knowledge—

    the Lord—knows the thoughts of man,

    that they are but a breath.

Dull of Hearing

I believe these words can speak truth both to the wicked who are assailing God’s people and to the people of God who are being influenced by the wicked to stray from their pure devotion to Jesus Christ. Either way, this is speaking to people who are being dull of hearing and who are walking in ways which are unwise.

I see so many people who claim to be followers of Christ following after the lies and after the ways of the flesh and after the ways of the world and of man. I was there once, too, so I know. I bought into the lies and the deception and I was once led astray, too, but God in his love and mercy brought me back. Amen! All glory to God!

Now my heart aches to see so many people fall under the deception of the evil one and to be walking in ways which are contrary to God and to His Word. But, not all fall under deception because they are naïve to the ways of the world and of the wicked. Many go after the ways of the flesh even knowing that they are doing wrong, and even knowing that they have the power in Christ to do what is right. And, that is heartbreaking.

Psalm 94:12-15 ESV

Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord,

    and whom you teach out of your law,

to give him rest from days of trouble,

    until a pit is dug for the wicked.

For the Lord will not forsake his people;

    he will not abandon his heritage;

for justice will return to the righteous,

    and all the upright in heart will follow it.

Justice Will Return

True justice may not come until our Lord returns for his bride and he comes to judge the people of this world. But, sometimes he does bring justice to situations in the here and now, and he does relieve the afflicted from their suffering even in this life. We just have to learn to wait on the Lord for him to do what his will desires, for our timing is not his timing.

We have to have a God perspective about our suffering, too. I don’t know anyone who literally enjoys suffering, though we are to rejoice in our suffering, for we are counted worthy to suffer injustice for the sake of Christ, our Lord. We need to understand that through suffering (God’s discipline) we grow in our faith, we mature in Christ, and God is making us holy, and he is conforming us to the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Through suffering we learn patience, endurance, hope, faithfulness, discipline for the soul, and dependence on God alone. And, we learn to rest in our Lord and to trust him and to believe him for all things, rather than have a “my do it” approach to life’s circumstances.

When we are afflicted, and when hope is deferred, we may feel as though God has abandoned us, but he has not. If we are in Christ Jesus, by genuine faith in him, then our Lord is living within us in the person of the Holy Spirit. So, we are never left alone.

God is not asleep, either. He knows what is going on, and he knows what we need, and he will supply. We just have to keep resting in him and not become anxious because what we hope for has not yet taken place.

Psalm 94:16-23 ESV

Who rises up for me against the wicked?

    Who stands up for me against evildoers?

If the Lord had not been my help,

    my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.

When I thought, “My foot slips,”

    your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.

When the cares of my heart are many,

    your consolations cheer my soul.

Can wicked rulers be allied with you,

    those who frame injustice by statute?

They band together against the life of the righteous

    and condemn the innocent to death.

But the Lord has become my stronghold,

    and my God the rock of my refuge.

He will bring back on them their iniquity

    and wipe them out for their wickedness;

    the Lord our God will wipe them out.

My God, My Refuge

Oh, how I get this, too! If the Lord had not been my help and my sustenance, I don’t think I would even still be here. Certainly I would not be where I am now doing what I am doing for his glory, in obedience to him.

I think sometimes, when the wicked and the deceived are assailing us who are the Lord’s, that we think God is not coming to our defense if we do not get immediate relief from our suffering, and if it lingers for a long period of time, especially.

But, the Lord never promised us full relief from suffering in this life. In fact, he promised us the opposite. He was quite clear in his messages concerning what it would cost us to follow him. He didn’t gloss it over as many are doing today. He told it plainly. It means death. It means death to sin and self and living to righteousness. And, it means we will be hated, persecuted, abused, abandoned, falsely accused, etc. It means we will be treated as Jesus was.

But, he does bring us relief, comfort, encouragement and hope in other ways. He has given us his spiritual armor with which to fight off Satan’s evil attacks against us, which often come through evil people (Eph. 6:10-20). And, when we obey him, and we rest in him, he fills us with his peace, joy, songs of rejoicing in him, and hope.

He strengthens us and empowers us to remain strong and steadfast even in the face of great suffering. So, we can walk in victory even when still being assailed by the wicked. We just have to keep turning our situations over to him, believing him to work out all things according to his plans and purposes.

And, we must love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who mistreat us (Lu. 6:27-28).

My Sheep  

An Original Work / June 24, 2012  

Based off John 10:1-18 NIV

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full…

They know my voice, so they follow me.

https://vimeo.com/114938263

Thursday, August 23, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus, for these encouraging words. Thank You for being my refuge and my strength to help me. Amen!

We Wait Patiently

Romans 8:24-25 ESV

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Recap

The hope in which we were saved is described for us in Romans 6:1-23 and in Romans 8:1-23. Jesus Christ, God the Son, died on a cross for our sins. In his death he put our sins to death in order that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. He died that we who walk according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh might be set free from the condemnation of sin.

The whole purpose of our salvation is to set us free from our slavery to sin and to free us to walk in holiness, righteousness, purity and faithfulness to our God. Eternal life in heaven is a benefit gained by us having walked according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh while we live on this earth (Rom. 6:22; Rom. 8:12-14).

So, we are debtors, not to the flesh, but to the Spirit. For, if we walk according to the flesh, and not according to the Spirit, we don’t have the hope of eternal life with God, but a fearful expectation of judgment and of the fires of hell. For what we sow, that will we also reap (Gal. 6:7-8).

So, the hope that we wait for is the day when our salvation will be complete when our Lord returns and we will be forever with our Lord. No longer will we have pain, sorrow, distress, difficulties, persecutions and temptations to sin against God. For, we will no longer be in these flesh bodies. We will then live in glorified bodies free from all human ailments. Amen!

So, while we still live on this earth, we long for that day when we will be forever with our Lord and we will no longer have to suffer as we do now. Yet, temptations to sin, trials, tribulations, and persecutions will continue while we are still here on this earth. And, some days we will literally cry out to our God for relief from our suffering and for the time when this will all be over.

But, we wait patiently for that day to come, and while we wait, we walk by faith and not by sight. We keep trusting our Lord, and we continue to follow him wherever he leads us in doing whatever it is he has called us to do, knowing that we are put here on this earth to glorify God with our lives.

Romans 8:26-30 ESV

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

In Our Weakness

The Lord Jesus not only came to this earth to suffer and die for us that we might be delivered from our bondage to sin, but he went through much suffering on this earth in order that he might be able to sympathize with us in our weaknesses. And, he does.

This is not to say that he is soft on sin, though. He isn’t. It is not like he is a cruel task master standing over our heads ready to pounce on us every time we fail, though. But, he does demand that we walk according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh if we want to have the hope of eternal life with God. He does demand that we leave our lives of sin behind us, and that we now follow him in obedience and in surrender to his will.

But, we are not left to our own devices to figure it out for ourselves how this works, either. For, when we trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, his Spirit comes to live within us to strengthen, empower and help us to live godly and holy lives pleasing to God. He helps us to resist Satan and to flee temptation and to throw off all hindrances to our walks of faith.

Not only that, but he prays for us and he intercedes for us when we don’t know what to pray. Sometimes I absolutely can only say “Help!” because things are just too overwhelming for me and I am at a loss for words. The Holy Spirit, though, will always pray according to the will of God which may not always be what we would pray, because sometimes it is God’s will that we continue in our suffering, for he will work it all out for our good.

For, it is God’s will for us that we be conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ who learned obedience through the things he suffered, even though he was God. How much more will we, as mere humans, need to suffer in order that we might learn obedience, too.

Romans 8:31-39 ESV

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long;    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Mighty Conquerors!

If God is for us, which he is for those who truly have put their trust in him, then no matter what comes our way, or who is working to oppose us, our Lord will supply our every need. For, none of these things can separate us from his love. This is a promise for us who have truly given our lives over to him to walk in his ways. Our Lord is with us always guiding, comforting, encouraging, strengthening and interceding for us to the Father.

We do not have to be overtaken by what others do to us or say about us. They have no real power over us. Yes, they can hurt us, and do damage to our reputations, but they have no power over our hearts and minds and souls, except for what we allow them to have.

For, because Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on that cross, at which time he conquered sin and death and Satan on our behalf, we are mighty conquerors through him who loves us. We don’t have to be defeated by our circumstances or by what others do or don’t do. God will supply us with all that we need, and he has already done so (See: Eph. 6:10-20). We just have to take hold of what he has given to us and apply it to our lives.

So, hold on to the Lord. Believe in his promises. Don’t ever give up, no matter how hard it gets sometimes. Remain faithful. Trust in the Lord.

Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee

Hymn lyrics by Bermard of Clairvaux

tr. by Edward Caswall, pub.1849

Music by John B. Dykes, pub. 1866

Jesus, the very thought of Thee

With sweetness fills the breast;

But sweeter far Thy face to see,

And in Thy presence rest.

Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame,

Nor can the mem’ry find

A sweeter sound than Thy blest name,

O Savior of mankind!

O hope of every contrite heart,

O joy of all the meek,

To those who fall, how kind Thou art!

How good to those who seek!

All those who find Thee find a bliss

Nor tongue nor pen can show;

The love of Jesus, what it is,

None but His loved ones know.

Jesus, our only joy be Thou,

As Thou our prize will be;

Jesus, be Thou our glory now,

And through eternity.

*copyright status is public domain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXmOXla9aJE

Wednesday, August 22, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus, for these encouraging and hopeful words. Thank You that we have the victory through you. Amen!

Hope Deferred

Psalm 42:1-2 ESV

As a deer pants for flowing streams,

    so pants my soul for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God,

    for the living God.

When shall I come and appear before God?

I understand this. It is a deep longing of the soul, not just for God, but for alone time with God. It is a deep aching within just to be with our Lord and with no one else, to spend time with him, to hear his voice, and to talk with him one on one with no one else around, and with no distractions.

But, this is not just about wanting some alone time with God to have our personal devotions, though that is critical to our relationship with him and to survival throughout our days, so that we walk in his love and in his grace.

This is a longing of our hearts and minds and souls for God himself, for our Lord Jesus Christ, not only to be in his presence, but to experience him, to get to know him, to have intimate fellowship with him, and to walk with him day in and day out in obedience to his Word.

It is desiring him above all else, and wanting to do his will always. It is also desiring what he desires, which is what is holy, righteous, pure and trustworthy. And, too, it is hating what he hates, which is what is evil, impure and false.

It is wanting him to be the Lord of our whole lives. And, it is total submission to him, to love and to serve him forever. I am His and He is mine.

Psalm 42:3-4 ESV

My tears have been my food

    day and night,

while they say to me all the day long,

    “Where is your God?”

These things I remember,

    as I pour out my soul:

how I would go with the throng

    and lead them in procession to the house of God

with glad shouts and songs of praise,

    a multitude keeping festival.

Trials and tribulations have a way of increasing that longing for God, too.

When we were children, and we were sick or injured, probably most of us wanted to be helped and comforted by a parent or by someone we felt cared about us. Probably a lot of us are still that way.

When we are the most vulnerable is usually when we are more likely to seek help and comfort. So, when life gets difficult, and the pain comes, if we have a close walk with the Lord, we will naturally turn to him for help and for comfort in our suffering.

Sometimes life doesn’t go as planned. Sometimes things we have waited for don’t come on time. Things get delayed. And, it can be disheartening when they do. And, when this happens, our enemy Satan rejoices, but sometimes our physical enemies in this world take pleasure in our suffering, too. And, that can cause even further pain.

So, when that happens, we need to be reminded of God’s goodness to us, and of his faithfulness, and of his sovereignty over our lives. We need to be refreshed in our thinking with regard to the victories God has given us previously over Satan’s evil schemes against us. And, we need to be reminded to hold on to hope, to be joyful in tribulation, and to put our trust fully in God and not in humans, who are likely to fail us.

Psalm 42:5 ESV

Why are you cast down, O my soul,

    and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

    my salvation and my God.

YES! Satan’s goal is to get us to be discouraged and to be disappointed when things don’t go as planned and when we have to wait even longer for things promised to be fulfilled. He wants to dump on our joy, and he will use other humans and life’s circumstances to try to get the best of us, too, and to make us afraid.

So, when this happens, we need to call on God. We need to put on that armor of God with which to fight off his evil attacks against us. We need to put on the joy of our salvation, and thank the Lord for all that we do have instead of mourning over what we don’t have or what we have lost. For, there we will find peace even in the midst of our suffering.

Psalm 42:8-10 ESV

By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,

    and at night his song is with me,

    a prayer to the God of my life.

I say to God, my rock:

    “Why have you forgotten me?

Why do I go mourning

    because of the oppression of the enemy?”

As with a deadly wound in my bones,

    my adversaries taunt me,

while they say to me all the day long,

    “Where is your God?”

If we have a close walk with our Lord Jesus, we should be ever aware of his presence with us and of his working in our lives at any given moment throughout the day or the night. The doors of communication should be open, between us and our Lord, all the time. Thus, we can talk to him anytime, and we can hear him speak to us in all of our life’s situations.

When we pray, it shouldn’t be a grocery list of requests and nothing else. Prayer is not just asking God for things, though that is certainly part of it, yet praying according to his will. Prayer is conversation with our Lord, our Savior, the one who created us, our best friend and our husband.

When we converse with our Lord, we can tell him what is on our hearts. We can cry out our pains to him and tell him the things which deeply distress us. It is not that he doesn’t know these things, but that we need to express them to him. And, we need to seek his comfort and his counsel, too.

Even though it is true that our Lord will never leave or forsake those who are truly his, sometimes we can feel forsaken by God, especially when our enemy is hot on our trail. Sometimes we can’t hear God or see him working, and we may feel abandoned. But, we can be assured that he has not left. We may leave him, at times, but he will never leave us. He is always there.

Psalm 42:11 ESV

Why are you cast down, O my soul,

    and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

    my salvation and my God.

So, even though the wicked assail us, God is with us. And, he has a plan and a purpose for it all. We just have to keep praying, hoping and trusting Him.

My special verse right now is Proverbs 13:12 NIV:

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

My Sheep 

An Original Work / June 24, 2012 

Based off John 10:1-18 NIV

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full…

They know my voice, so they follow me.

https://vimeo.com/114938263

Tuesday, August 21, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus, for these comforting words.