Be Still Before the Lord

Psalms 37:1-6 ESV

 

“Fret not yourself because of evildoers;

    be not envious of wrongdoers!

For they will soon fade like the grass

    and wither like the green herb.

 

“Trust in the Lord, and do good;

    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the Lord,

    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 

“Commit your way to the Lord;

    trust in him, and he will act.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,

    and your justice as the noonday.”

 

As long as evil exists so will we have people who make evil their way of life. None of us are completely immune to sin, mind you (1 Jn 2:1-2). We are all a work in progress if we are allowing the Lord Jesus to do his work in our hearts and lives. But some people plot evil against others in practice.

 

We are not to fear those who do evil, even if that evil is directed at us, for God is in control. We are to reject all fearful thoughts, and we are to place our trust fully in God, delighting ourselves in him. His desires will then be our desires, and so he will give us the desires of our hearts. And we are to continue to do the good that he has called us to do.

 

Evildoers will come against those of us who are walking in righteousness because they hate the light, and thus they refuse to come into the light because their deeds are evil and they don’t want them exposed. And God has not promised us that we will not be hated or persecuted. We will!

 

So, we must commit our way to the Lord, and we must trust him with our circumstances and with the evildoers. God is fully sovereign over all that he has made, so whatever happens to us he has allowed for a purpose, and so we must rest in him and trust him to work it all out for our good.

 

Psalms 37:7-11 ESV

 

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;

    fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,

    over the man who carries out evil devices!

 

“Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!

    Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

For the evildoers shall be cut off,

    but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

 

“In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;

    though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.

But the meek shall inherit the land

    and delight themselves in abundant peace.”

 

Satan is not only going to attack us through evildoers, but he is going to try to make us afraid, too. And he is going to try to get us to worry about what those evildoers might do against us. So, we must reject those thoughts and we must be still before the Lord and wait on him to act.

 

Yes, God does allow evil to exist, and yes, he allows evil people to do evil to other people, but we can’t let them get to us. We can’t let them upset us to the point of anger or revenge, especially. We must guard our hearts and our tongues against all evil.

 

Sadly, the truth is that those who practice evil, who make sin their habit, they will one day die in their sins without hope of eternal life with God. They will spend eternity in eternal torment. And that breaks my heart that so many people who know better turn to evil knowing what their end will be.

 

Psalms 37:12-15 ESV

 

“The wicked plots against the righteous

    and gnashes his teeth at him,

but the Lord laughs at the wicked,

    for he sees that his day is coming.

 

“The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows

    to bring down the poor and needy,

    to slay those whose way is upright;

their sword shall enter their own heart,

    and their bows shall be broken.”

 

Who are the righteous? They aren’t those who merely profess faith in Jesus Christ. They are those who are living righteously by God’s Spirit via submission and obedience to the Lord and to his commands (New Covenant). (1 John 1:5-9; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:7-9)

 

And who are those who are saved from their sins and who have eternal life with God?

 

They are not those who merely profess faith in Jesus Christ. They are those who walk (in practice) NOT according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. They have died and they are dying (in process) with Christ to sin, and they are living to Christ and to his righteousness by the power of God’s Spirit at work within them.

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24]

 

When the Scriptures speak of the righteous vs. the wicked, they are talking about those who practice righteousness vs. those who make wickedness their practice. And when it comes to salvation from sin and eternal life with God vs. damnation and eternity in hell, the same is true.

 

If we live to sin we will die in our sins. But if we live to righteousness, in the power of God’s Spirit, we will have eternal life with God (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; 1 Co 6:9-10; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8).

 

So, although the wicked may have success in their own eyes in this life in doing evil to others, they will reap what they sow. And even though the righteous may be betrayed, forsaken, forgotten, thought as evil and accused falsely in this life, they will receive their rewards in heaven one day.

 

Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken  

 

Hymn lyrics by Henry F. Lyte, 1833  

Music attr. to Mozart, 1831/ Arr. Hubert P. Main, 1872

 

Jesus, I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow Thee;

Destitute, despised, forsaken, Thou from hence my all shall be.

Perish every fond ambition, all I’ve sought or hoped or known;

Yet how rich is my condition! God and heav’n are still mine own.

 

Let the world despise and leave me, they have left my Savior, too;

Human hearts and looks deceive me; Thou art not, like them, untrue.

And while Thou shalt smile upon me, God of wisdom, love and might,

Foes may hate and friends disown me, show Thy face and all is bright.

 

Go, then, earthly fame and treasure! Come, disaster, scorn and pain!

In Thy service pain is pleasure; with Thy favor, loss is gain.

I have called Thee, “Abba, Father”; I have set my heart on Thee:

Storms may howl, and clouds may gather, all must work for good to me.

 

Man may trouble and distress me, ’twill but drive me to Thy breast;

Life with trials hard may press me; heav’n will bring me sweeter rest.

Oh, ’tis not in grief to harm me, while Thy love is left to me;

Oh, ’twere not in joy to charm me, were that joy unmixed with Thee.

 

Haste then on from grace to glory, armed by faith, and winged by prayer,

Heav’n’s eternal day’s before thee, God’s own hand shall guide thee there.

Soon shall close thy earthly mission, swift shall pass thy pilgrim days;

Hope soon change to glad fruition, faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhIo2o3WLnA

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In Faith and Truth

1 Timothy 2:1-4 ESV

 

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

 

How to Pray

 

What kinds of intercessions and prayers should we be making for all people and for people who are in high up positions in the government or in the gatherings of the church? Should our prayers for them be all the same? Or should our prayers reflect where these people are in relation to God?

 

If we read 1 Timothy 2 in the context of 1 Timothy 1, I think we will see that our prayers and intercessions must not be in discord with sound doctrine, and they should come from pure hearts, good consciences, and sincere faith. We don’t just pray whatever comes to our minds.

 

And our prayers must be founded in the truth of the gospel and not in vain conversation. As well, they must have as their goal the salvation of human lives for eternity. For, this is why Jesus came, to save sinners, not to coddle them in their sins, and not to ignore their sins and their ungodly ways.

 

So, when we pray for those in authority over us, if what they are doing or if what they are teaching is contrary to the will of God, then we don’t pray for God to bless them in their work, but we pray that they will repent of their sins and that they will turn their hearts over to Jesus Christ.

 

And if what they are doing is deceiving the people, and if what they are teaching or promoting is trapping the people in their sins, not freeing them from slavery to sin, then we need to pray that the people’s minds and hearts will be open to the truth and that they will reject the lies.

 

And if those who have genuine faith in Jesus Christ, who are out there sharing the truth of the gospel, are being persecuted for their walks of faith in Christ Jesus, then we need to pray for their courage and their determination to keep speaking the truth and to keep exposing the lies so that many will hear the truth and so be saved.

 

1 Timothy 2:5-7 ESV

 

"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.”

 

Jesus Christ, God the Son, gave himself as a ransom for us to deliver us out of our bondage to sin, not just to forgive us our sins. He shed his blood for us to buy us back for God so that we would now be God’s possession, and so that we would now honor God with our lives (Rom 6:1-23; 1 Co 6:19-20).

 

But many people in high up positions within the government and within the institutional church are not promoting what is truth, but they are promoting lies. For, they are against the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and thus they are doing what is against the gospel of our salvation.

 

The church, at large, from the top to the bottom, has adulterated the gospel of Jesus Christ in order to make it more palatable and acceptable to the world and to human flesh. So, what they are largely promoting is in reverse of what Jesus Christ taught and lived.

 

For one, beginning in the late 1950’s the church united with the government in an unholy union. They incorporated under the state as a 501c3 non-profit organization, which was not required of them, nor was it necessary, for the church was already tax exempt.

 

The church at large (not including all gatherings of the church) then began promoting government worship with the pledging (vowing) of allegiance (fidelity) to the government, with hand over heart, and with the singing of patriotic hymns, and with the honoring of the military as our heroes.

 

They turned the church into a marketplace, and they began marketing it just like any other business, and so they began to conform the church to the ways of the world in order to attract the world to their gatherings. So, the church was no longer the light of the world, for they were becoming like the world.

 

But then, in order not to offend the world with the gospel, they diluted the gospel and then pretty much obliterated it, largely teaching it now in direct opposition to what the message of the cross is all about. For they now teach against repentance, obedience and submission to Christ as Lord.

 

And now they are coming against and they are attacking those of us who are still holding to the truth of the gospel, and they are accusing us of being intolerant, hateful, hyper-religious, self-righteous, and legalistic, and of teaching works-based salvation.

 

And now the government has been building a case for some time against things which divide us as a people, and things which cause others to be offended, but actually the church is ahead of them on that one, for they largely stopped teaching the truth a while ago so as not to offend anyone.

 

But we are seeing a large push now on a government level to do away with everything that offends others. Well, the gospel of Jesus Christ offends because the message of the cross is an offense to those who are perishing. Thus, we are being targeted for extinction. It is just a matter of when they make their move. So, keep shining the light of the truth!

 

Shine Jesus Shine  

 

By Graham Kendrick

 

Lord the light of Your love is shining

In the midst of the darkness, shining

Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us

Set us free by the truth You now bring us

Shine on me

Shine on me

 

Shine, Jesus, shine

Fill this land with the Father's glory

Blaze, Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire

Flow, river, flow

Flood the nations with grace and mercy

Send forth Your Word, Lord and let there be light..

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3iB30gCqAc

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Open the Eyes that are Blind

Isaiah 42:5-9 ESV

 

“Thus says God, the Lord,

    who created the heavens and stretched them out,

    who spread out the earth and what comes from it,

who gives breath to the people on it

    and spirit to those who walk in it:

‘I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;

    I will take you by the hand and keep you;

I will give you as a covenant for the people,

    a light for the nations,

    to open the eyes that are blind,

to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,

    from the prison those who sit in darkness.

I am the Lord; that is my name;

    my glory I give to no other,

    nor my praise to carved idols.

Behold, the former things have come to pass,

    and new things I now declare;

before they spring forth

    I tell you of them.’”

 

This was a prophecy concerning Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Savior (See also Isaiah 49 and 61). The part about Jesus being the covenant for the people is exclusively about Jesus Christ, but some of the rest of this was given to Paul as his calling (Acts 26:16-18), and to us, too (1 Pet 2:9).

 

Jesus Christ, God the Son, was called (anointed, chosen) in righteousness – in justice, morality, decency, uprightness, and honesty – to be the Savior of the world. God the Father sent him to the earth to be born as a baby to a human mother so that he could suffer and die for our sins.

 

But Jesus Christ didn’t die on that cross for our sins just so we could be forgiven our sins, and just so we could go to heaven when we die, although that is what is widely being taught. He died on that cross to deliver us out of our slavery to sin so that we could be slaves of his righteousness (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15).

 

For, his mission on this earth and his purpose in dying on that cross for our sins was to open spiritually blinded eyes, and to bring people imprisoned by sin out of their bondage of sin and to give them new lives in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24).

 

And this is the essence of the gospel of our salvation which Paul was also called to preach, but that we are also to preach, teach and share.

 

In our sharing of the gospel, the intent is to open spiritually blinded eyes, turning them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God so that they can receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 26:18; Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24).

 

Jesus Christ died on that cross that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. This is the gospel in a nutshell. We are to put off our old self, which belongs to our former manner of life and is corrupt through its deceitful desires, and we are to be renewed in the spirit of our minds, and we are to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God.

 

If we are teaching any other gospel, we are not teaching the truth. For, the truth is plain and simple. Jesus died on that cross that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us. He shed his blood for us to buy us back for God so we now honor God with our lives.

 

He didn’t die just to forgive us. He died to transform us. He died to put our old lives of living for sin and self to death so that we could now live for him and walk in his holiness and righteousness and no longer according to the ways of our sinful flesh (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24).

 

So, as followers of Jesus Christ, our lives are to be for the glory and praise of God. This is not saying we will never sin, but that sin should no longer have mastery over our lives. Now Jesus Christ is to be our only Lord and Master, and our lives are to be dedicated to him and to no other god.

 

I Can See Clearly Now

 

By Johnny Nash

 

I can see clearly now the rain is gone

I can see all obstacles in my way

Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind

It's gonna be a bright, bright sunshinin' day

It's gonna be a bright, bright sunshinin' day

 

Oh yes, I can make it now the pain is gone

All of the bad feelings have disappeared

Here is the rainbow I've been praying for

It's gonna be a bright, bright sunshinin' day…

 

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

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He Alone is My Salvation

Psalms 62:1-2 ESV

 

“For God alone my soul waits in silence;

    from him comes my salvation.

He alone is my rock and my salvation,

    my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.”

 

Jesus Christ, God the Son, died on a cross nearly 2,000 years ago in order that we who believe in him might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. For, he gave his life up for us on that cross so that we might be delivered from our slavery to sin, and so become slaves of God.

 

Jesus Christ is our ONLY HOPE of salvation from our bondage to sin and for empowerment of the Spirit to live godly and holy lives, pleasing to God. He alone has the power to set the sinner free from his addiction to sin. And He is the only way to God the Father and to life eternal with God in heaven.

 

Because Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins, and because he was resurrected back to life by God the Father, we, too, can die with him to our sins, and we can be reborn of the Spirit of God to newness of life in Christ, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph 4:17-24).

 

We who believe in Jesus Christ with genuine God-persuaded faith have, thus, forsaken our former lives of living for sin and self, we have been reborn of the Spirit of God, and now, by God’s grace and in his strength, we are able to live no longer under the control of sin, but now according to the Spirit of God (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; Gal 2:20).

 

Psalms 62:3-4 ESV

 

“How long will all of you attack a man

    to batter him,

    like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?

They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.

    They take pleasure in falsehood.

They bless with their mouths,

    but inwardly they curse. Selah”

 

There are many people today professing faith in Jesus Christ who don’t genuinely believe in Jesus Christ. And that is because they have not died with Christ to sin, and they are not living to Christ and to his righteousness, by the power of God’s Spirit at work within them.

 

They have given lip service to Christ, but they have not rendered their hearts to God, and they have not made Christ their Lord. But they are still the lords of their own lives, and they are still living to please their own flesh while they claim Jesus as Savior and heaven as their eternal destiny.

 

And this has largely taken place because so many false teachers are teaching a false (diluted, adulterated) gospel which is absent of repentance, obedience, and submission to Christ as Lord. So, while they promise the people freedom, they are cursing them by leaving them still in slavery to sin.

 

But this false gospel is permeating the church of today, and many people are buying into the lies because the lies sound good, and because the lies allow them the freedom to keep on in their sins only now without guilt. But the Scriptures teach that if we continue in sin, we will die in our sins (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8).

 

Psalms 62:5-7 ESV

 

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,

    for my hope is from him.

He only is my rock and my salvation,

    my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

On God rests my salvation and my glory;

    my mighty rock, my refuge is God.”

 

Too many people who profess faith in Jesus Christ are relying on what other humans are telling them, and they are not studying the Scriptures for themselves. But, if we don’t test what we hear against the Scriptures, in context, we might fall for the lies.

 

So, we can’t depend on other humans to tell us the truth, for there are too many liars out there disguising themselves as servants of righteousness. Just because it looks good, smells good, feels good and sounds good, it doesn’t mean it is good. Bad can be disguised to make it look good.

 

So, we must not make idols out of human beings. We must not let them take the place of God in our hearts. We must not trust everything coming out of their mouths, either. If we want God alone to be our fortress and our salvation, then we must not look to other humans to save us.

 

So, if we believe in Jesus, it means we die with him to sin and that we live to him and to his righteousness. It doesn’t mean we can keep on sinning deliberately and habitually. For, if we continue living in sin, we will die in our sins. We will not have eternal life with God.

 

Belief in Jesus Christ, therefore, is more than just words we say or some emotional experience we go through once in our lives. Belief in Jesus is proved genuine by what we do in heart response to what Jesus did for us, and in obedience to his commands (New Covenant).

 

One day we will be judged by our works. If we sow to please the flesh, from the flesh we will reap the destruction of our lives. But if we sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit we will reap eternal life. If we live to the flesh, we will die in our sins, but if we live to Christ, we will have eternal life with God.

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 2:3-6; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10]

 

God So Loved the World

 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

 

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:16-17 KJV

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phWMcwYv9g4

With Full Courage

Philippians 1:15-18 ESV

 

“Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.”

 

Before I get into what this is talking about, I want to state clearly what this is NOT talking about. This is not talking about people who are teaching a false gospel and a different Jesus other than the Jesus of the Scriptures. Otherwise, Paul would not be rejoicing. He’d be rebuking.

 

They are speaking the true gospel, but they are speaking it in pretense. They don’t really believe what they are espousing. They are saying the right words, but their hearts are not really in it. They neither believe what they are teaching nor are they living it. They are faking it.

 

For what purpose? Well, if you were these people, and if you were trying to win over a particular group of people who believed a certain way, you might pretend to believe what they believe, at least initially. You might say what you know they want to hear so they would think you were one with them.

 

So, how might these liars and fakers use this to their advantage? And how might they use that to bring down those who are genuinely following the Lord? Well, for one, it could be to win the favor of the people and to convince them that they (the liars) are genuine, so the people trust them.

 

Once they have the people’s trust, then they could instill lies into the people’s minds about the person (or people) who is (or are) speaking the truth, in truth. And the purpose would be to turn the people away from the genuine follower(s) of Christ to now follow the fakes.

 

The fakes may outwardly continue to espouse the true gospel of Jesus Christ, but they may very slowly and subtly introduce what is harmful to the people, and they may begin to introduce lies other than just the lies they are telling about the person (or people) whom they are out to destroy.

 

But, as long as they are speaking the truth about Jesus and about his gospel, even if they are doing it for evil purposes, then we should rejoice that the truth is going out. But if they merely say the name of Jesus but then they lie about the truth of the gospel, we should not rejoice, but we should expose the fruitless deeds of darkness for what they are.

 

And we should continue to speak the truth of the gospel even if our enemies are trying to destroy us with their lies. For, just know that if you are out there on the front lines speaking the truth of God’s word, you will be opposed, and people will lie about you, too.

 

Philippians 1:18-21 ESV

 

“Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

 

Paul, even though he was suffering unjustly at the hands of his enemies, did not fear what his enemies were up to, but he trusted the Lord. He believed, in some way, that God was going to turn it around for good. He believed God would answer his prayers and the prayers of the people on his behalf.

 

He did not let what was being done against him make him afraid or cause him to shrink back out of fear of what people might think about him. He maintained his courage and his strength in the Lord to keep on in what God had called him to do, despite all opposition against him.

 

And we, if we are following the Lord Jesus, in truth, must have the same attitude as Paul. We must be convinced of what we believe, and of who we believe in, and we must never fear any opposition or people’s underhanded dirty deeds done against us to harm us.

 

Our goal should be to please our Lord, not to win over the hearts of the people to ourselves. Our goal should be to lead people to genuine faith in Jesus Christ – to them dying with Christ to sin and to them living to Christ and to his righteousness, for the glory of God.

 

So, we must leave our reputations in the hands of the Lord, and we must be willing to accept being lied about as part of being mistreated for our faith in Jesus Christ and for our testimonies for the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we must trust our Lord to work it all out for good.

 

We can do nothing about what others will do to us or say about us behind our backs. We can’t change their hearts, either. Only God can. And worrying about it is not of God, and it just reveals lack of faith, so we should not worry about what others might do or say that may harm us.

 

If we believe that God is completely sovereign over our lives, then we have to believe that he is in control over everything that comes into our lives. He has it handled! We just have to trust him. If he allows us to be lied about, well, they lied about him, too, so we are in good company.

 

So, we keep on doing what we have been called of God to do, and we trust our lives into his capable hands, and we believe that good will come out of what appears to be something bad at the time. We don’t fear man, but we walk in the fear of the Lord, and we continue in him to the death.

 

Shine Jesus Shine  

 

By Graham Kendrick

 

Lord the light of Your love is shining

In the midst of the darkness, shining

Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us

Set us free by the truth You now bring us

Shine on me

Shine on me

 

Shine, Jesus, shine

Fill this land with the Father's glory

Blaze, Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire

Flow, river, flow

Flood the nations with grace and mercy

Send forth Your Word, Lord and let there be light..

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3iB30gCqAc

Caution: This link may contain ads

Bringing Good out of Bad

Philippians 1:12-14 ESV

 

“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”

 

We all have our testimonies of what we have been through in this life and of how those situations impacted us for good or for evil. We’ve all been through something or other that had either a good or a negative influence on our lives, and on our emotions, and on our thinking, and on our beliefs, too.

 

So, I am certain that we could all share something here, no matter how little, or no matter how big those situations were (or still are) in our lives. For, these circumstances that we go through help to make us who we are, for good or for bad. But, if for bad, these things can be overcome.

 

For, God uses even the bad things in our lives to shape us into the people he wants us to be, if we will let him, and if we will surrender our lives to him, and if we will believe in his sovereignty over our lives and that he allowed these things in our lives ultimately for our good.

 

Yet, I know you might be thinking now, “But you don’t know how bad I had it! You don’t know what all I have been through! How can you say that God allowed those things for my good? You must be nuts! Why would a good God allow such a thing? I see no good in this at all!!”

 

I shared my life story with a newfound friend a few years ago, and her response to me, surprisingly enough was, “That was God’s gift to you.” She was/is right, but I am quite certain that most people under my circumstances would not see those situations as “a gift.”

 

We need to understand, though, that God is not the author of evil, although he allows evil to exist, and he sometimes uses evil people to accomplish his purposes, or else he allows evil because he plans to bring good out of it. But if we submit to his purposes for our lives, we can see his plan.

 

If we read the Bible, there are many examples for us in Scripture of how God used evil done to people for their good and for the good of others, such as with Joseph, and with the early church, and with the apostles. And he used it for the spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ, too.

 

So, don’t let your circumstances or your history overtake you. Believe in Jesus Christ, trust him with your life, believe he is fully sovereign over everything in your life, and trust him to work all things out for your good. And let him use you for his glory to encourage others, too.

 

Believe Him  

 

An Original Work / July 15, 2013

 

My heart cries: Lord, won’t You hear me

Seeking You for the answers

To my heartache and questions

I have concerning my life?

Speak, Lord, to me right now.

 

“Oh, dear one, why don’t you trust Me

With your life’s circumstances?

Give your all on the altar

In submission of your will

To My purpose for you.

 

“Surrender your life completely

To your Lord and your Savior.

He has all things planned for you

For His glory and honor.

He’ll work all things for good.

 

“Believe Him. He will fulfill all

Of His promises to you

For your life and your future.

Trust Him. Rest in His love.

He’ll give you peace from above.”

 

https://vimeo.com/115945593

Deliverance from All Fears

Psalms 34:1-7 ESV

 

“I will bless the Lord at all times;

    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul makes its boast in the Lord;

    let the humble hear and be glad.

Oh, magnify the Lord with me,

    and let us exalt his name together!

 

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me

    and delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant,

    and their faces shall never be ashamed.

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him

    and saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the Lord encamps

    around those who fear him, and delivers them.”

 

Fear Instilled in Me

 

When I was growing up as a child, I had an extremely hateful, mean, and abusive father. He was a bully. He was scary. We never knew when his anger was going to flare up and when he was going to lash out at us verbally or physically. The anger would seemingly come out of nowhere.

 

So, fear was instilled in me all throughout my early years. And so, I subconsciously adopted this idea of God, of Jesus, that although he was there to love and comfort me, that he was powerless to rescue me. So, I carried that belief with me into adulthood.

 

Though consciously in my mind I felt that I believed in the sovereignty of God, that he was all powerful and in control over all things, my actions sometimes proved otherwise. My actions sometimes revealed what I honestly believed down deep within my heart. Fear was still at work.

 

The Lord took me through some difficult experiences in my life before I finally realized that I was not fully trusting in his sovereignty over my life, and that Jesus had truly defeated Satan on my behalf, and that I had the spiritual armor and the power I needed to defeat Satan and fear.

 

For, I had been trying to defeat Satan with a defeatist attitude, like I tried to avoid getting hit by my father. I knew I was going to get hit. It was inevitable. When I saw it coming, I crossed my arms in front of my face and retreated. And I did get hit. Every time.

 

When I Came to Understand

 

I came to understand that the spiritual armor supplied to me by God is what I needed to combat Satan and his weapons against me, and that I could refute his lies with the truth, and that I could respond to his attacks against me with the Sword of the Spirit, with full confidence that I would win.

 

And the reason that I could and can win is because Jesus already won that battle for me (for all of us). I just have to put on that spiritual armor and I have to exercise that faith, and speak that truth, and combat those lies, and to do so with confidence in my Lord and in what he did for me (for us).

 

So, if this is where you are because of similar experiences in your life, please know that the battle is already won. We are not to fight Satan like we are not convinced of that, or like we think he has power over us or that he could win. We are to fight our enemy with confidence in what Jesus did for us.

 

Thus, when our enemy comes against us to try to make us afraid, or to try to instill fear in our hearts, or to try to convince us that he still has power over us or that God is somehow limited or that God is not in control, we need to speak truth against those lies, and the peace will come.

 

And, lest this is a little confusing here that we are delivered from our fears, but that we are to fear God, know that the fear of God is to honor, respect, value, revere, and to obey him. So, when we walk in the fear (reverence) of our Lord, we are at peace, and we don’t live in fear of our circumstances.

 

I Can See Clearly Now

 

By Johnny Nash

 

I can see clearly now the rain is gone

I can see all obstacles in my way

Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind

It's gonna be a bright, bright sunshinin' day

It's gonna be a bright, bright sunshinin' day

 

Oh yes, I can make it now the pain is gone

All of the bad feelings have disappeared

Here is the rainbow I've been praying for

It's gonna be a bright, bright sunshinin' day…

 

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

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