Maybe He’s Doin’ You A Favor

Today’s message comes to us from Psalms and Proverbs 30. Psalm 30 is King David singing to the LORD. The whole thing is beautiful! (Psalm 30:6-7)”As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.”
By your favor, O LORD, you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face; I was dismayed.” (ESV) This one really caught my attention. I’ve had three or four of those mountains in my life. There’s a twofold revelation here. First, we can get so caught up in our success(es) that we forget who got us there. “King/Queen of the hill, I am.” You’re already in trouble the minute you think it. I know; you think God would say, “Oh, yeah?” He doesn’t. God says, “Oh, no!” He knows what you’re in for. The devil loves to knock you down. That’s where the second revelation comes in. “By your favor,” O LORD, you made my mountain stand strong.” Oh, oh; what happened to my mountain? My high place just turned into a desert wilderness! It’s a mountain of sand! And here comes the storm! “God, why did you let that happen? God, can you hear me down here?! GOD, ARE YOU LISTENING?!! GOD, HELP ME!” “Yes, my child, I am listening. Now you’ve got it right.” (Matthew 5:1-14) (ESV)

Proverbs 30:1-9 reinforce Psalm 30. It’s almost like a small recap of Job. “I’ve learned my lesson, and I’ll just shut up and praise you now, LORD/Lord.” LOL Proverbs 30:7-9 go on with a short request by Agur, of the LORD. Then the rest of the proverb gives us some observations Agur has made. He ends with a bit of wise advice.

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Bold As A Lion

Today’s message comes to us from Proverbs 28. Proverbs 28:1 tells me that I am bold as a lion. As a child of God, I should be. Jesus is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah. I’m being conformed to His image. My God says I have nothing to fear because He is my refuge and my strong tower, my help in times of trouble. Jesus also promised He will never leave me or forsake me; but He’s with me always. There’s also that first verse in Psalm 27, where King David asks, “Whom shall I fear? Of whom shall I be afraid?” God is our light and our salvation.

Keeping that in mind, Proverb 28:2 gives us a clear picture of whom should be our leader; or what kind of leadership we should have: “When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but with a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability will long continue.” Turn a couple of things around here: “When a land has many rulers, it transgresses.” This speaks, not only of idolatry. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.” (Psalm 33:12). When you think about opposing views (Mom says no, Dad says yes), too many things on the agenda (Distraction), and everyone trying to run the show (everybody’s job gets done except his/her own-and you have constant friction as a result of personal agendas), what you have is a big mess waiting to happen. All that stuff inspires confusion, anger, bitterness, envy, and malice. (2 Cor. 13:11) – “Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.” As parents, you cannot create a stable and peaceful environment if you’re not of one accord, and constantly oppose each other. Stability, knowledge, and wisdom go hand in hand; each one empowers the others.

Proverbs 28:4, 5, and 10 remind us that our duty, and especially as parents, is to fight wickedness; to strive against it. The knowledge of the LORD brings us the understanding of justice, we’re told in verse 5. Verse ten is a revelation about sowing and reaping. “Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.” Parents will suffer the consequences of misleading their children into sin. (teen pregnancies, drugs and alcohol, sloth, disrespect, idolatry, etc.) Proverbs 28:13 is a powerful revelation about what might be hindering your progress; especially in terms of overcoming. Proverbs 28:18-19 remind us that integrity (truth,honesty), which requires boldness, by the way, delivers us from sin. This is also a two-fold thing. Integrity should also help you recognize your sin, and help you overcome it. Proverbs 28:23 tells us that correction is better than flattery. We prosper as our soul prospers. You are your land. Be bold as a lion in maintaining its standards and boundaries!

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A Great Meditation Piece

Today’s message comes to us from Psalms and Proverbs 26. Psalm 26 is actually a prayer of King David’s. I think it’s a great piece to meditate on.

Vindicate me, O LORD! For I have walked with integrity; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering. Test me, O LORD, and try me; examine my heart and mind. For Your loving devotion is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth. I do not sit with deceitful men, nor keep company with hypocrites. I hate the mob of evildoers, and refuse to sit with the wicked. I wash my hands in innocence that I may go about Your altar, O LORD, to raise my voice in thanksgiving and declare all Your wonderful works. *This is about getting your heart right before the LORD/Lord. Confess if you have something to confess, ask for His forgiveness and help, and then your praise and thanksgiving won’t be hindered and robbed of its power. O LORD, I love the house where You dwell, the place where Your glory resides. Do not take my soul away with sinners, or my life with men of bloodshed, in whose hands are wicked schemes, whose right hands are full of bribes. *Don’t let me fall into their hands, or be taken in by their schemes.* But I will walk with integrity; redeem me and be merciful to me. My feet stand on level ground; in the congregations I will bless the LORD. I’ve italicized the points I meditate on; their my checklist when I’m doing self inventory. One thing I found is that, even when it’s been a week or stumbling and/or I find myself more than a little apathetic, God’s love has not changed, and He’s always ready, willing, and more than able to reveal, refresh, and restore me-body, mind, heart, and soul.

Proverbs 26 is an entire listing of some dos and don’ts for the child of God. It’s also a good meditation piece; maybe even one that one can take some notes on from time to time, in regard to personal happenings.

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Foundations Are Crucial

Today’s message comes from Psalms and Proverbs 11. Psalm 11 is King David stirring himself up in the LORD. He says, “In the LORD I take refuge! How can you say to me flee; and if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?!” In other words, “I am not afraid!”

That foundations thing got me. That’s right where the enemy strikes! You see, he loves to bring the house down. When I read that, it’s verse 3, by the way: “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”-I see a warning there for us. We need to protect the foundations (standards and boundaries). Jesus is our foundation; He is the Word of God. (Luke 6:47-49)

Proverbs 11 gives us a list of some things to think about. 11:3 tells us that integrity guides the upright. Integrity is that adhering to truth, keeping your word, and knowing when to keep quiet, etc. We’re told that righteousness keeps our paths straight. This makes it harder to get lost or distracted. 11:6 tells us that the treacherous are taken captive by their lust. (pornography, illicit sex, greed, etc.) You can get yourself into some real trouble trying to be a people pleaser, or needing to be “in” the “in” crowd, too. 11:9 -Knowledge delivers us from falling victim to those things. This is where the knowledge of good and evil, and the wisdom to discern between the two are important. But, more important is the knowledge of God, which is wisdom. We have the Holy Spirit as guide and counselor. thankfully. Verse 11:30 tells us that the fruit of righteousness is a tree of life. When I read this, I think of Jesus’ words in (Luke 13:19) “Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”

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He Gave Us The Power

Today’s message comes to us from Psalms and Proverbs 8. Psalm 8 is a psalm King David wrote, glorifying the LORD. King David recognized, not only who God really is (our Heavenly Father), but also, he knew who he was, in the LORD. Verse 1 tells us God’s glory is set above the heavens – over the powers, principalities, and hosts of spiritual wickedness. There’s only so far they can go. Verse 2 tells us that God has ordained praise to silence the enemy and avenger. “Out of the mouths of children and infants” -that’s us when we’re reborn. Right then, the devil is rendered powerless to accuse and exact payment. Verses 5 & 6 tell us that we’re made a little lower than the angels, and crowned with glory and honor. He has made us ruler over the works of His hands! That means, in Jesus’ Name, the powers, principalities and hosts of spiritual wickedness (the spirits) are subject to us; they must obey. Jesus gave us the power to master good and evil, and gave us the same authority He has over the spirits.

The only thing I’m going to tell you about Proverbs 8, in this message, is that Jesus is the wisdom of God personified. You’ll see that in verses 22-31. The whole proverb is a list that shows us the benefits of seeking and embracing wisdom. I encourage you to delve into it. Verses 15 & 16 tell us that it is by wisdom that kings rule. We are kings and queens in the earth. Whether we rule/govern our homes, or our communities, wisdom is what empowers us to do so justly. *Our treasuries are spirit, heart, mind, and soul.

Thank you, Paul Wilbur, for such beautiful praises for me to sing to the LORD/Lord!

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You Are Hotly Pursued

Today’s message comes to us from Psalms and Proverbs 7. The first part of Psalm 7, 7:1-9 is a prayerful song sung by King David regarding his enemies. Verses 1&2 give a very clear picture of how hotly you are pursued by the hosts of spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places. “Lord my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me, or they will tear me apart like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.” (1Peter 5:8) tells us: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” When you watch lions hunting, you’ll see they go into hot pursuit of their prey; they don’t stroll after it. Never take your souls safety for granted. Satan wants to destroy it.

What’s really awesome in this psalm is verse 8: “The LORD judges the peoples; vindicate me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and integrity.” You know that saying, “and idle mind is the devil’s playground?” Yeah, ever find yourself battling with the same thoughts over and over? My battle with that when I quit smoking comes to mind. Even long after I’d given cigarettes up, Satan was lurking and waiting to lure me back there. I had an argument with my husband one day, and the first thing that came to my mind was: “I should just start smoking again; that will show them!” The next thing that came to mind was, “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!” I knew that my smoking would hurt me; not anyone else. (See how the Truth rushed in there?) The Holy Spirit nipped that one in the bud! When I think of this vindication, I think about catching my children doing right. Praise is doubly as important as reproof. Here’s why: Verse 9-“Put an end to the evil of the wicked, but establish the righteous, O righteous God who searches hearts and mind.” The more we celebrate our doing right, the stronger the desire to do right becomes, and the less power the lure of evil, the wicked, and sin has over us. *This works on adults who are being renewed in the knowledge of God, as well.

Proverbs 7 Speaks of the adulteress, but when in spiritual context, it is the lure of sin and sinners. This includes false religion, idolatry, peer pressure, etc.) When we make our children strong against these in the LORD/Lord and His Word, they’re better able to resist and walk away. (2Cor. 10:5) tells us: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” The more truth you have within you, the stronger you are to stand against the wiles of the devil; and against deception.

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Today I Have Begotten You

Today’s message comes from Psalm 2 and Proverbs 2. I hope you’ll feel closer to the LORD/Lord when you finish with it. See how much the Father loves us.

Psalm 2:7-9 tells us: “I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Is that awesome?! This is David speaking by the Spirit. He was speaking of Jesus and you and me. Jesus is the One who gave us the power to become God’s children in His Name. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.” (John 1:12-13)

Proverbs 2:1-5 tells us: “My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.” One must accept the offer Christ gives us, and receive Him in our hearts. Jesus taught about receiving God’s Word into our hearts and applying them, in Matthew 13:3-9. Proverbs 2:6-15 explains to us why we need God’s wisdom to live by. We are kings and queens in the Earth, and if we are to rule over our lives according to God’s Word, we need His wisdom to overcome the evil and darkness Satan has brought to the earth. Jesus called him the “ruler of this world.” –The world that does not know Christ Jesus, or has rejected Him; that is. It’s also the world that we may have grown up in, or may have gotten ourselves into. With God’s love and His wisdom, we can overcome all three. Here’s Red Letters by David Crowder. I hope it blesses you as much as it does me-every time I hear it. If you don’t know Jesus, you don’t know what you’re missing! He loves you so very much! Don’t stay in that darkness; call out to Him and come out into the sunshine of His love, His peace, His joy! He loves yo, and so do I!

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Oh, Yes He Is…And, Yes He Does!

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that God is our source for everything! He is all sufficient; all powerful, all knowing, and present everywhere. That, alone, should bring great peace to your soul.

True to His Word, the Lord provided me with the scriptures I needed for this message. I’m still studying the prophets, in regard to generational curses. But the Lord led me to the gospel of Mark first this morning. (Mark 6:30-44) The feeding of the five thousand: The disciples had been out ministering and teaching, and had returned to report to Jesus. They all left together to find somewhere to be alone and get some rest. Some people saw them leaving, however, and beat them to the place. When they arrived, there the crowds were, waiting for them. Jesus, having compassion on them, began to teach them. When He finished, it was late, and the disciples told Him to send the crowds into the nearby villages and towns to get food for themselves. But, Jesus said to them, “You give them something to eat.” Do you know that when God tells you to do it, it is already ordained to be a blessing to you? Yes! You’ll find that in (Deut. 28:8 & 12); the blessings of obedience are yours. It’s also ordained that the blessing will be such a one that you cannot contain it; meaning it will overflow and be more than enough. (Malachi 3:10)

Here comes our part. (Mark 8:1-10) Again, they’re feeding a crowd; this time four thousand plus people. “Then He took the seven loaves, gave thanks and broke them, and gave them to His disciples to set before the people. And they distributed them to the crowd.” The key words here are “gave thanks and broke them.” 1. Thanksgiving opens the doors of the treasuries (storehouses) of Heaven. When God opens the doors of Heaven to you, revelation happens 2. Breaking up, or down, what you have, multiplies or divides it (makes it greater, or decreases its size, and/or power. The example is the roast that, when sliced, becomes steaks, stir-fry, and stew meat. That’s exactly like the loaves that became slices, or pieces of bread.

When we’re trying to decrease power, breaking whatever it is down, brings it to a size that we can manage. “I come to you in the Name of the LORD,” David said. God is bigger than anything-even a Philistine! That’s why Goliath had to lieth down. LOL (1Sam. 17:45)

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Be Quiet And Praise Him

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to trust God. “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46) -and I encourage you to read the whole Psalm; it’s awesome. Psalm 27 is also a great one. There, King David asks, “Whom shall I fear?” “Of whom shall I be afraid?”

I discovered sometime ago that reading these out loud not only stirs my spirit up in faith, courage, and even patience, but it also puts the spiritual realm on notice. The powers and principalities, and hosts of spiritual wickedness are very real. (Read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis) In Jesus’ Name, we have authority and power to over-rule them. (Luke 10:20) All that being said, put whatever it is in God’s hands, and just be quiet and praise Him. It is, after all, the Lord’s Day! This is one of my favorite praise songs. Thank you, Chris Tomlin.

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No Punishment For Past Sins

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that there is no punishment for our past sins. When we accept Christ Jesus as our Savior and Lord, all of that is removed-as far as the East is from the West-from us. They’re gone!

However, their impact and effects on us, our character, attitudes, choices, lives, have not been removed. They will be gradually wiped clean, and/or smoothed and polished into a beautiful soul. One that manifests it’s true being -created in the image and likeness of God, Himself-more and more.

Remembering that we go from strength to strength and glory to glory, we can begin to understand the admonition of the Lord. God brings us up in the admonition of the Lord, just as we are to bring our children up the same way. When a child errs, we help him/her to correct that error. We teach our children how to clean up messes, and how to do things correctly. This isn’t punishment; it’s training. God does the same with us. We can only act/react according to what we believe to be true. When we come to the Lord, we’re operating out of old truths-usually untruths, about ourselves and the world around us. God patiently works with us, allowing us to come face to face with the consequences of our actions, and face the truth that we need help to change things, or to do them correctly. When we turn to Him for that help, He’s always ready, willing, and more than able to teach and train us in the correct ways. King David wrote often about being taught the Lord’s ways, and His paths. And, remember, King David erred-and even sinned knowingly. But, King David also repented, went boldly the throne of God, asking forgiveness. God called King David a man after His own heart. We can learn and be inspired and encouraged by that.

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