Praise Is Due To Him, Indeed

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 65, and I think this is one of my favorite psalms. I just love it every time I read it. Verse 1 tells us that Praise is due to Him; and our vows to Him shall be performed…in Zion. That tells me I can go up and praise Him on His Holy mountain! And that’s in verse 2: “O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come.” Remember where John went in the Spirit?

Here’s what we have when we do come before Him; thanks to Jesus! This is verse 3: “When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions.” Jesus did that for once and for all time on Calvary! Now, we can overcome the darkness in this world, and be in Heaven *both eternally and here on Earth, in our living. That’s where verse 4 comes in: “Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!” We can dwell in His courts, and his house can be our house.

There are a couple of things to take away from the holiness of His temple. First, It takes me to the Commandment: “Worship the LORD your God and serve him only.” (Luke 4:8) (Deut. 6:13) I also think about being the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. In light of that, we must respect ourselves, and others when we can. A wise person once told me that if you can’t respect someone, you can still be respectful toward them. It also tells me that we should do nothing to debase, defile, degrade, demean, and destroy another’s dignity and self respect. *Notice, those words all begin with the first letter of the word “devil.”

Verse 5 tell us that God answers us by awesome deeds and with righteousness. That makes me think of when I’ve heard kids talking about how awesome someone’s parents are. God’s love is awesomely empowering, calming; inspiring love, courage, . In and through it, we are empowered to realize, accept, and respect our own authority over our lives. That reminds me of what Jesus said. “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

The rest of the psalm outlines God’s working in the world we live in; in His creation. It gives us a picture of the effects and results of His steadfast loving-kindness toward His creation.

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Silence Can Be Deadly

Today’s message comes to us from Psalms 28. Psalm 28:1-2 are so powerful! “To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary.” (your innermost sanctuary) This tells me that when I lift my hands up, I’m appealing to my Daddy’s heart for me. Hear me, Mom, Dad! And, answer me; answer my need for reassurance, admonition, correction, instruction, encouragement, etc. Remember Job? Yeah, God answered him, didn’t He? LOL My favorite line from that whole book is when Job says, “I’ll just shut up now.” I giggle every time I read it. And, yes, I’ve said that same thing myself; more times than I care to disclose. God walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Your silence can be lethal. Interaction stimulates even infants in the womb. Admonition, encouragement, instruction, empower us with knowledge, wisdom, and courage. Correction reveals error and makes way for instruction and encouragement. It also reinforces standards and boundaries; helping to realign us with truth and integrity. All of theses empower bonding in love, and cement relationships. Relationship empowers boldness. Verse 2 Begins “Hear the the voice of my please for mercy.” You can tell by the way that voice sounds what’s going on inside that person. (fear, desperation, frustration, overwhelmed, etc.) Those pleas for mercy. Mercy is defined as: compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm. (definition from Oxford Languages) We need to stop the onslaught dead in its tracks and make it manageable. My oldest daughter was just overwhelmed by a Math lesson dealing with decimal places. I drew a chart for her, like the one I’d learned decimal places on, and showed her how to use it. She aced that section in her math class. She hadn’t been shown that in class.

Psalm 28:3 is a powerful revelation about inappropriate places, people, and things. Some I thought of were bars, parties, gossip sessions, adult conversation, and age inappropriateness. That stuff comes back on us; we’re sowing seeds, and we will reap. That 9 year old that acts and sounds like a 37 year old comes to mind. Jesus did not take us to Hell; He went there for us. Psalm 27:7 is the next powerful one here. It gives us a revelation of two things. First, you must trust God to be helped by Him. (How can you believe and obey Him if you don’t trust Him?) Secondly, you must be trustworthy in order for your children, mate, friends, and others to feel they can be helped by you. (Why would, or should they turn to you if they can’t trust you?)

Proverbs 28 tomorrow.

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Just Walk It Out With Him

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that building up stone by stone means taking it step by step, that requires discipline and perseverance. We are bid to never lose sight of the glorious work to which we’ve been called. Therein, we can find joy in each step. As I read this message, I think of my life since I met Jesus. I have to say it: I got the joy, joy, joy…every day!. This song says it for this little country girl. Thank you Patsy Cline and Willie Nelson; two of my favorite country singers.

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Here He Comes!

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to Hail Him, first, among the lowliest and humblest of Earth. When we can see and honor the divine nature in the lowliest and humblest of beings, and in the lowliest and humblest of circumstances, we’ve got it right! Here’s one of my favorite Christmas songs. Thank you, Clay Aiken. I love you, Lord. Thank you for loving me!

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Sing To Him A New Song

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we are never to make a truce with evil. We are a peculiar people; we are the children of God! Ours is a life of love and freedom from the strife the world suffers. We can sing to, and of Him, new songs! Here’s one of my favorites! Thank you, Zach Williams!

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His Perfect Love Is Beautiful

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us the our enemy prowls like a lion, seeking whom he can devour with fear. Fear is the devil’l favorite weapon. We are bid to seek, think about, and speak of Jesus often. We’re encouraged to build a strong relationship with Him. This is what the parable of the house on the rock teaches us. This is one of my favorite songs; I’ll never tire of it! Thank you, Jason Upton, for a beautiful job!

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Every Day With Him Is Wondrous

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to seek to see the wonders of, and in, God’s Kingdom. When we do this, the scales begin to fall off our eyes, and we are able to see more and more of the wonders in, and of, His creation.

Here’s Mercy Me with an old favorite of mine. By the way, I dance with, and for Him every day! Oh, how I love you, Lord!

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The Gifts Of The Quiet Times

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that God does indeed redeem the time. Quoting directly from the message: “Your simple daily tasks done in My strength and Love will bring the consciousness of all your highest hopes.”

The message speaks of adding beautiful peace and joy to our golden years. But, when I thought about this, I thought of weariness that clings at times. I thought of disappointment and doubt in self, in my progress, even in the Lord, in those times I just could not understand that He was working all the while. There are many times it seems like not a prayer one is getting through, and not a thing one is being done about our complaints, our weariness, our frustration, etc. It’s in those times, that we need to seek that quiet time with Him, and get refreshed and strengthened.

I found a list of scriptures about being refreshed, renewed, and strengthened in spirit. I’m going to list them so you can look them up. Isaiah 40:31, my favorite: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand of righteousness. Isaiah 41:10, Jeremiah 31:25, Psalm 29:11, Psalm 68:35, and Psalms 92:10. I’m sure there are so many more, but this is a pretty good start. These are the gifts of the quiet times. They empower us to just live our God’s will for us in His strength and love. When we do this, almost unconsciously we will rise, step by step, one step at a time, to new glories, and new triumphs.

Here’s Paul McClure with Waymaker. I hope you get stirred up in your spirit by this song-and remember, you’re not walking alone!

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He Doesn’t Need To Hear It…

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that your heart’s cry is heard over everything in Heaven. Is that an awesome revelation about God’s love? I have to say thank you for that! Thank you, Jesus!

When I think about this in terms of generational curses, I think of Jesus’ words, “But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:21-22) What does that have to do with a voiceless cry? Well, when you see that child that just spilled the milk, or just set the toaster on fire, or just filled the tub with the entire box of detergent, and every piece of clothing he could get his beautiful little hands on, does your heart go out to him/her? How could you not be hurting for that frightened child, and want to rush in to save him/her? How could you not fall absolutely head over heels in love with that little helper, and praise him for his little heart?

God responds to us in exactly that way. He looks at our hearts, and He knows our hearts. He also knows that the enemy’s greatest weapon, and his favorite one, is fear. It is never God’s intention to inspire fear in us; never! When God speaks to us about punishment; it is because we are about to reap what we have sown. When God admonishes us, it is always with the intention of getting us to repent and correct our behavior. And, God is always right there, ready, and so very willing to help us get up and back into right standing; to overcome whatever it might be. The admonishment of the Lord, (Eph. 6:4) saves us from our fear and frustration, and empowers us with instruction and training, to overcome the obstacle between us and growth, or progress.

This works when you’re retraining that wounded child within you, as well. That ties in with those powers I talked about a couple of days ago -the power of laughter, patience, protectiveness, etc. God never sees us as failures. He always sees us as victorious; because, in Christ Jesus, we are-in everything!

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Furnish & Refurnish Them

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to furnish the quiet places in our souls; thereby, building our spiritual homes. Of course, spending time with God in prayer and praise is the most important part of that. But there’s more to this than meets the eye. We need to nourish the gifted parts of our beings, as well. God doesn’t give us gifts and talents for no reason.

At first glance, you’ll say, “What?!” Look at that again, though. God really did form your inward parts (heart and soul) “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13) Furnishing the quiet places in your soul, then, is furnishing that creative part of you, that craft-loving part, the author/storyteller, the artist, the list goes on and on, doesn’t it? It should. These are gifts/talents that bring us peace, joy, purpose, little pleasures. I’m not telling you not to seek God and spend time with Him. I am telling you not to get so caught up on the one road that you miss the whole country-side surrounding you. Whenever we traveled, my Dad would try to take the scenic route whenever possible-and he would actually pull off the road and take a break when the highway traffic got heavy. Sometimes, we need a little change of scenery. You may be surprised at how much peace and joy you can find in a cook-book, and an afternoon spent in the kitchen. It stirs up creativity within, it brings comfort and joy to you and those for whom you’re cooking, and gives you a little glimpse of a gift God has given you…and maybe inspiration will take you to new heights.

I’ve said this before, I know; but one of my favorite little daily inspirational reads is from a book titled: Simple Abundance. It really does reach the creative part of you. Not only that, but you will be surprised at how much more you will appreciate all you have, and all you already are. I refer back to it from time to time, when I’m feeling out of sorts and frustrated along that same road.

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