Month: July 2021

“Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning; For in Thee do I trust: Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; For I lift up my soul unto Thee.” Psalm‬ ‭143:8‬ ‭KJV‬‬. The psalmist David longed to hear from God. He desired to have God show him where to walk and how to conduct his life. But he understood that he had a part in this also. If he wanted to hear God’s voice in the morning, then he had to rise early and seek God and open his heart to the Word of God. If he wanted the Lord to direct his steps then he had to humbly present himself to God. He had to lift his soul up and have that humble attitude which could be led. There are many who mistakenly assume that all of the responsibility is on God for their spiritual lives. But each of us have the choice every day whether we will seek Him and open His Word to hear His voice. It is up to us to decide if we will humble ourselves before Him and learn how He wants us to live our lives. Let us determine to begin each day seeking our Heavenly Father in His Word and in personal communion. And let us gather to worship Him where we can hear His voice.

“I stretch forth my hands unto Thee: My soul thirsteth after Thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.” Psalm‬ ‭143:6‬ ‭KJV‬‬. The psalmist was at a place in his life where he knew that nothing or no one in this world could satisfy the longing of his soul. He was facing spiritual battles where no one else could bring the victory his heart needed and desired. His very soul was reaching Heavenward because he had found that only God could be his satisfying Portion. And thank God he knew where to look. But we should ask ourselves, where is this intense desire for God in our generation? Where are the souls who are hungering and thirsting after God more than anything in this world? Today, it seems that most religious people are smug and satisfied with their form of religion and want no more. Far too often we go through our motions and are content that we have done enough. We read, sing our songs and listen to sermons and then pat ourselves on the back thinking that we are doing well. All while God waits for us to desire Him! Do we ever pause to realize that God wants us to desire more of Him? May God’s Spirit fan the flame of holy desire within our hearts until we hunger and thirst for Him above all else.

“When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then Thou knewest my path…” Psalm‬ ‭142:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬. Every child of God understands what it is to feel overwhelmed in our spirit. Sometimes we get worn down by the burdens of life. We can become weary in well doing. We suffer losses and our hearts grieve. It seems troubles increase on every side. But thank God we have a Merciful High Priest, Jesus, Who knows exactly what we are going through and how to meet our needs! When we read these words “Thou knewest my path” it reminds us of Hebrews 4:15, that in Jesus we have a compassionate High Priest Who is touched by the difficult things we go through in this life. He knows all about this path we are on. He has walked the path of suffering and persecution. He has trod the path of sorrow and grief. He was rejected by His own and had no one in this world who could understand His grief. But in all things He had the Father. May we remember, even when we are overwhelmed, we always have Jesus. Let us run to Him, He is our great Burden Bearer and our Refuge.

“The eternal God is thy Refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…” Deuteronomy‬ ‭33:27‬ ‭KJV‬‬. As Israel was preparing to enter the promised land, God gave them many words of reassurance. He wanted them to know that as great a leader as Moses had been, he was not the one who they should trust in. So as Moses gives them these final words, he is telling them that all of your confidence should be in God! He is the Eternal God! He is your Refuge! It is His strong and everlasting arms that will hold you up and keep you! And we know that God did just what He promised. He brought them in and He defeated their enemies. He provided all of their needs. Many times in our lives, we get our eyes upon good people. We can’t imagine our life without them. But then God reminds us, it is not in any person that you should place your faith and confidence. No one in this world has the power to hold you up spiritually. But God Himself will always be our Refuge! His strong arms will never fail us. And how blessed we are that He is the Eternal God! He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Let us place all of our faith and confidence in the God Who is Eternal.

“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭31:6‬ ‭KJV‬‬. Try to consider the effect these words had upon God’s people, “HE WILL NOT FAIL THEE”. As Israel prepared to take this monumental step, to finally enter in to the land of promise, they needed this reminder, that God would be with them and “HE WILL NOT FAIL THEE”. They were facing terrible enemies. They knew that on a human level, the odds were against them. They remembered well, that heathen giants were in the land. Powerful kings and fortified cities stood in the way. And yet, they had this promise of God, that “HE WILL NOT FAIL THEE”. For a true child of God, this is what drives away fear! This is what caused them to be strong and of good courage. This is what brought victory in every battle. To know that our God is unfailing means everything!! His love won’t fail. His grace won’t fail. His mercy won’t fail. His power won’t fail. Because there is no failure in God! Let us rest and rejoice in this great truth, expressed in the old song: ‘There is no failure in God’. “You can search the record through and see what the Lord can do, there is no failure in God.” Child of God, whatever you’re going through, remember, “HE WILL NOT FAIL THEE”.

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt revive me: Thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and Thy right hand shall save me.” Psalm‬ ‭138:7‬ ‭KJV‬‬. Every child of God is walking in the midst of a troubled world. Today sin is abounding all around us. Moral and spiritual darkness has crept in. And yet, we have this promise of God, that even as we walk through this troubled world, He will revive our weary souls! That means He will refresh our spirits, endue us with His own life and power, and give us the spiritual stamina to endure all of satan’s attacks. And thank God we are not left to fight the enemy on our own! Our mighty God will deal with our enemies. His strong hand will save us and keep us. There is nothing that will ever come against us, that is greater than Christ in us. Let’s not make the excuse that things are too bad around us. Instead, let us believe that there is nothing too hard for our God! He has proven time after time that He can turn the worst of situations into the greatest victories. And then let us prayerfully seek Him for the spiritual revival He wants to do in us.

“and the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭26:8‬ ‭KJV‬‬. When God delivered Israel from Egyptian captivity, it was a Divine work. It was not about the goodness or strength of Israel, but it was in response to their humble cry to God, confessing their need and asking Him for mercy and help. They knew they were not free and longed for the freedom that only God could give. Spiritually, their deliverance is a symbol, it represents what Christ does for us as New Testament Christians. Like them, we were bound in sin (represented by Egypt). We were held captive by a cruel taskmaster, called the devil. (represented by Pharaoh). Like them we had no hope of deliverance in ourselves. But thank God, when we humbled ourselves and cried out to Him for deliverance, He sent a Mighty Deliverer, Jesus Christ! And by His strong hand, by His mighty power, by His atoning work, He broke the chains of our bondage and set us free! May we understand that the path to freedom has never changed. It still takes a humble cry and the mighty power of God.

“and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John‬ ‭8:32‬ ‭KJV‬‬. As we thank God for our freedom, we should always be mindful that freedom comes only with our proper response to the truth. This truth Jesus speaks of in this verse is not about scientific truth, or the truth of our physical world. This is the Truth as it is revealed in Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. And until a person responds properly to this Truth they will remain in spiritual bondage. One of the great attacks of our enemy in this day is to try to deceive people’s minds by lies and distortions of truth. Much of the professing church of this day does not proclaim the Truth of Jesus Christ and what He came to do. Instead, they have twisted and distorted the truth to where they proclaim ‘another’ Jesus Who tolerates and condones sin. This idea being presented is not of a Saviour Who came to save us from our sins, but of One Who came to give people a free ticket to a Heaven all while continuing on in a life of sin. May God help us to humbly respond to the Truth of Who Jesus is and what He came to do. That is the only way our souls can be free.

“Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭23:5‬ ‭KJV‬‬. When Israel’s enemy hired Balaam to curse them, God took control of the situation and used him instead, to pronounce blessings upon God’s people. How we need to realize that our Sovereign God, Who loves us as His children, is still doing the same thing in our lives and in our world today! Over and over, He takes the very things our enemies intend for our harm to bring spiritual good to our lives. Today the enemy is using every means at his disposal to curse the church and drag the name of Jesus through the gutter. But when these things happen, let us remember that satan never has the final say. God is still in control and the last move will always belong to Him! Our God loves us so much, and has such infinite power and wisdom, that He will turn the curse into a blessing for those who remain faithful to Him. And as we recognize His great blessings and care for us, we will know it is all because He loves us.

“How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a strange land?” Psalm‬ ‭137:4‬ ‭KJV‬‬. In the opening verses of this chapter, the writer is expressing their dismay at being captives in the land of Babylon. It says, “They hung their harps on the willows…” which means they had given up their songs of praise to God. And of course, it is human nature to lose our joy and our praise when things are difficult like this. But for God’s true children, we have received a new nature! And because of this miracle in our souls, there is a way to keep our songs to God! There is a way to keep the joy of the Lord in our souls, even in the worst of circumstances. And that way is, to remember our God! To focus our minds upon Who God is and the wonderful things He has done. Even though we live in a wicked world, a world opposed to godliness, we can maintain the praise of God in our hearts if we will focus on the right things. The Apostle Paul, after all the difficulties he faced, wrote in Philippians 4:8, that we are to “think on these things”. Whatever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. And while it may be difficult to see these things around us, we can always see them when we lift our eyes and look to Jesus! When we look to Jesus, we will have a song of joy, even in this strange land.