Month: November 2021

11/20/21

“And he sought God in the days of Zechariah…and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper.” 2 Chronicles‬ ‭26:5‬ ‭KJV. These words were spoken of King Uzziah during the time his heart was right with God. And the spiritual truth they express is just as real for us today. It is not a promise of material or physical prosperity as fleshy minded people imagine. But it tells us as long as we seek God in the right way, He will prosper us in the only way that truly matters, which is spiritually and eternally. No where do we have a promise of financial or even physical prosperity. In fact, Jesus told us to be content with the physical things we have. The material is what this ungodly world seeks after. As children of God, our eyes are open to the reality that it is the soul that matters most. And soon, it will only be the prosperity of the soul that will matter at all. But for us to enjoy this prosperity of the soul, we must seek God first. We must seek Him with our whole heart. The shallow and empty religious world around us is evidence that seeking God in the wrong way will not be enough. If we try to seek Him in a half hearted way, after we have sought other things before Him, will never be sufficient. But when we truly seek Him first, He will bless and prosper our souls.

11/19/21

“Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” Philippians‬ ‭4:9‬ ‭KJV‬‬. In this verse, the Apostle is reminding them of the things he has communicated to them. He has spoken the truth of God’s Word to them. He has lived before them so they could see his Godly example. And they were willing to listen and to learn. They received those things into their hearts and minds. But then, he says this little word, ‘DO’ that still hangs up many religious people today. Paul was letting them know, it’s not enough to just hear truth. It’s not enough to observe Godly behavior. It’s not enough to receive it and believe it. He was emphasizing here, that we must be willing to put it into practice in our lives! We must be willing to ‘DO’ what God calls us to. This simple truth he is expressing here is one of the differences between true and false religion. A lot of people study and learn about truth, and claim to believe it. But true Christians put it into practice in their daily lives! Jesus did not say, “Blessed are those who think about My Words”. Rather, He said, “Blessed are those who DO the will of My Father”. Let us be DOERS of the Word.

11/18/21

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Philippians‬ ‭4:11‬ ‭KJV. As the Apostle has just written about the joy of having God’s peace in our hearts, he is letting them know, that same ‘peace of God’ brings great contentment in the soul. No matter what condition we are in physically or materially, this peace from Heaven helps us to be content. He was content when he had very little of the things of this world. He was content when troubles came and enemies rose against him. Jesus Himself, had almost nothing on a material level, and yet He was the most content Person ever to walk this earth! So let us understand that physical things can never bring true contentment to the soul. Getting more of this world and having what our flesh desires is not the answer. But thank God, when we are reconciled to God and walk with Jesus day by day, His peace within our heart brings us great contentment! This contentment cannot be bought or earned, but we can receive it as a free gift from Jesus when we humble ourselves before Him and seek Him above all others. 1 Tim. 6:6 tells us, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”

11/17/21

“The meek will He guide in judgment: And the meek will He teach His way.” Psalm‬ ‭25:9‬ ‭KJV‬‬. In this verse the psalmist is describing the humble character of those who God will lead and instruct. These are those he described in Psalm 23, as being ‘led in paths of righteousness’. And certainly we should know, that this is the only life that can truly have peace and joy. It is those who are learning from God how to live in this world, how to walk as we should walk, because they have humbled themselves to walk with Him. These are the ones who will receive wisdom from above in how to make the many choices and decisions in our lives. But it all begins with a humble spirit. Only the humble soul is willing to follow, and to be led. Only the humble is teachable and able to receive instruction. And yet, we should also understand, that this humble spirit is not about emotional feelings or natural disposition. Rather it is a recognition of our own inability and need. It is confessing that we are not able to lead ourselves in the right way, and so, we need to be led. The old song says, “If thou wouldst have the dear Savior from Heaven, walk by thy side from the morn till the even,
there is a rule that each day you must follow, humble thyself to walk with God.”

11/16/21

“Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab.” 2 Chronicles‬ ‭18:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬. The life of King Jehoshaphat was a wonderful story up to this point. But sadly, there came a time when he did not seek God first and he did not walk in God’s commandments. As a result, he sought the favor of a man more than the favor of God. Rather than walking in unity with God, he sought affinity with a heathen king. We know that afterwards he humbled himself and God had mercy upon him. But much suffering came as a result of his ‘unholy union’ and many lives were lost. How important it is for us as God’s  children to realize, we should never enter into close relationships with unbelievers that cause us to be unequally yoked together. God’s Word makes clear that ‘two cannot walk together unless they are agreed’. ‭‭2 Cor‬. 6:14 tells us “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” Jehoshaphat and multitudes of others are evidence, that God will not bless us when we go against His Word and His will. Suffering and heartache are always the result when we allow ourselves to be unequally yoked. Instead, let us walk every day with Jesus and He will guard our hearts.

11/15/21

“And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat.” 2 Chronicles‬ ‭17:10‬ ‭KJV‬‬. Because King Jehoshaphat sought and honored God above all others, and was walking in His commandments, a great spiritual revival took place in the land. The places of idolatrous worship were taken away and a spiritual cleansing came to the nation. He sent out spiritual leaders all over the country to teach the people God’s Word. As a result of all this, God’s favor was upon them and fear fell upon their enemies. Today we seem to forget, that the greatest defense we can ever have, is the favor of Almighty God upon us! Many religious people today imagine that they can live in sin and seek other things more than God and everything is going to be fine?? They live half-hearted, insincere lives and then try in vain to claim some Biblical promise, that is only for God’s true children. But may we learn from this Old Testament example. The only One our enemies fear is God Himself. They don’t fear half-hearted religion. They don’t fear people who have a form of religion with no power. But when our heart is right with God and His favor is upon us, He will always be a wall of fire about us! By God’s grace, let us live every moment to please Him and walk in His favor.

11/14/21

“And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD: moreover he took away the high places and groves out of Judah.” 2 Chronicles‬ ‭17:6‬ ‭KJV‬‬. These words were written about King Jehoshaphat because ‘he sought the Lord and walked in His commandments’ and as a result, God’s favor was upon him. It does not mean that he was lifted up in pride as sinful people become. Rather, these words means he was greatly encouraged in God! His soul was cheered because he delighted himself in God and His ways. And this is always the result in our lives when we do as he did. When we seek the Lord above everything else and by His grace walk in obedience to His Word, our souls will be lifted up in joy and thanksgiving! And let us realize, this is how an Old Testament man lived. How much more should we as New Testament Christians be uplifted in our souls. With our knowledge of Jesus Christ and what He has done for us, how much more should we be uplifted in our souls and delight ourselves in His ways. With the full provision He has made for us, how much more ought we to walk in His ways. But when people put other things ahead of God they lose the joy in their souls. As Jesus said, let us seek Him first and we will be richly blessed.

11/13/21

“Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.” Psalm‬ ‭24:8‬ ‭KJV‬‬. One of the main reasons so many church people are restless and troubled in heart, is because they don’t truly know Jesus Christ for Who He is. They don’t realize He is more than a crucified Saviour, He is also the Risen and Reigning King of Glory! For some He is a Gentle Shepherd and a Counselor. They see Him as the Meek and Lowly One and our Friend Who sticks closer than a brother. And certainly all of that is true, but He is so much more! We must also understand He is the Lord Strong and Mighty in Battle! He is the One Who has all power in Heaven and in earth, and there is nothing too hard for Him. There is no enemy that comes against us that is equal to His divine power. There is no foe we will ever face that can defeat Him Who is the Captain of our salvation. But we become troubled when we focus more on what the enemy is doing, than we do on Jesus Christ, our Mighty God. This is why we need to pause and consider Who Jesus Christ is. He is not a baby in a manger anymore. Thank God, He is our glorious Saviour and Lord! He is Strong and Mighty in battle. And no weapon formed against us will prosper as long as He is with us and we are abiding in Him.

11/12/21

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” John‬ ‭14:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬. Do we realize that Jesus is speaking these words because He wants us to have peace in our hearts in all situations of life? Because He loves us, He does not want us to be fretful and troubled about the things that go on around us. Certainly we are to be concerned and prayerful. But He wants us to have sweet peace and rest in our soul. And He is letting us know that there is no other way for us to have that peace except as we believe in God and we believe He is the Son of God Who came to be our Saviour. But to believe in the way He means is much more than modern ‘easy believism’. It is to believe in a way that changes our heart and life because we have placed our faith and trust in Him! It is not enough to merely believe in the existence of God. To have this peace we must believe He is my God and my Heavenly Father. We must believe Jesus is my Saviour and Lord. That means we have given up the right to direct our own steps, because He is now our Counselor and Guide in everything. It means we have turned our back on sin and by His grace have chosen the path of holiness and righteousness. What a joy it is, to believe He is my God and my Saviour!

11/11/21

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians‬ ‭6:12‬ ‭KJV‬‬. God’s people are engaged in a very real and daily spiritual warfare. One of the most important things to understand in this spiritual battle, is to be able to recognize who our enemy is. So many believers fail day after day, because they make their battle against people, against flesh and blood, rather than their real enemy. The devil has always made great efforts to misdirect us, to get us to think, that person is the problem, or that institution. And so, we begin to fight against people, against businesses, even against governments. But let us realize, we are battling against spiritual wickedness. While wickedness may be seen or felt through some person, we will always fail if we direct our attack against them. Today, many believers have forgotten the mighty power of prayer and turned instead to fleshy battles. We’ve lost sight of the overcoming power of God’s love working through us and focused our energies against individuals. May God help us to recognize the real enemy and then humble ourselves before Jesus Christ, Who never has lost a battle. Only with Him, only as we abide  in Him, can we be the overcomers He calls us to be.