November 6, 2024

Trust the Great I AM

August 15, 2013 by

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But mine eyes are unto thee, O God the Lord:
in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.
Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me,
and the gins of the workers of iniquity.
Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.
Psalms 141:8-10

Putting my trust anywhere is one of the hardest things that I have trouble doing.  It all comes from experience.  As most of us know, it is Back-to-School time.  For my family, it is Start-to-School time.  Our son starts Kindergarten this fall.  I worry about my son as he begins Kindergarten and the journey through school—academics, sports, friends—i.e., that word friends is the worriesome part.  I was a victim of bullying in school; hence the trust issues that I have.  However, I do trust the Lord will protect him.  We are blessed to be zoned for a school where we know that most of the teachers and administrators for the three schools (elementary, middle, and high) are Christians. We go to church with some of them, and I have looked at the online bios of others.  The Lord is looking out for us and not leaving us.

The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts Him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song.
Psalm 28:7

For us as children of God, there are those out there who are jealous of us.  However He protects us from them.  He looks out for us when we walk into their traps.  We are rescued when the wicked fall and are punished.  We escape the fate that awaits the wicked when the final judgment comes because we have faith in the Lord.  The Lord has His ways of looking out for His children.

The Lord provides for His children in many ways.  He gave His only Son to the Cross, so we could be with Him.  He has protected us from the never-ending punishment that awaits the wicked in the final judgment if we accept Christ as The One and Only way to stand at His throne.  This is the escape of the righteous from the wicked in the final moments of what we know as time.  The Lord protects and answers the prayers of those who call on the Great I AM for deliverance.

God answered the calls of the Israelites when Egypt held them in bondage through Moses.  He delivered David from the hand of Saul when David worshipped the Lord in prayer and song and dance.  The Lord protects those who call on Him, no matter the day, time, or season.  He will deliver us from this world soon, and we should be ready for His joyous return.

* * * * *

Dear Heavenly Father, we ask for Your protection.  We trust that You are always with us no matter the time or season.  We praise You in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Guard My Mouth, Lord

August 14, 2013 by

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Set a guard, O Lord, before my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips.
Psalm 141:3

Now this is not the thing to pray AFTER letting a tirade fly out of your mouth!  RATHER it should be our prayer—perhaps at the opening of each day—before any words even come out.

Oh, sometimes it seems that we truly might have been better equipped if our Creator had chosen to give us a zipper for our lips, do you agree?  But, He Who knows best, chose to give us mouths to speak AND the responsibility to use our lips, our tongues, our words for blessing not cursing.

Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, blessing, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.  For ‘Whoever desires to love life and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit…’*
1 Peter 3:9 and 10

As in all things that the Lord charges us to do…we are never left alone.  He is always helping us.  So as we pray asking for His help with these mouths and tongues of ours, we can be assured that He WILL help us!  Temptation(s) will come, and sometimes we may feel that we are just going to succumb and sin.  But we have the Lord on our side; He is strengthening us.

[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.
Philippians 2:13 AMP

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13

Today, friends, let’s choose God’s way—and seek His help in guarding our mouths and watching our lips.  May we speak blessings today!

* * * * *

Dear Lord, I so desire to be pleasing to You with my words!  And to be a blessing to those who hear them!  Truly as the psalmist prayed: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”  Praying in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

* quoted from Psalm 34

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Are You Listening?

August 13, 2013 by

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I once prayed to God earnestly and tearfully.  During my prayer, I felt God answering me; however, I wasn’t finished.  I needed Him to hear my entire vent.  Once I was done, I boldly (well, that’s my nice way of saying rebelliously) informed God that if His answer was not what I wanted it to be then I wasn’t listening.

The psalmist wrote, in Psalm 141:1,

O, Lord, I am calling to you. Please hurry! Listen when I cry to you for help.

We call to God and ask for help.  We even ask Him to hurry!  Sure, we would love God to answer our prayers just as quickly as we ask.  Sometimes He does…sometimes He already has… sometimes He does not.  Regardless of when God answers, we need to make sure we are listening.

God’s word clearly says He answers prayers.

For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds;
and to him who knocks, the door will he opened.
Matthew 7:7

Remember God is a God of hearts.  He cares about character more than our comfort.  Whenever I ask God if He is listening to me, I always feel Him say:

“Are you listening to me?”

My earlier story was an extreme example. We don’t often walk around, boldly proclaiming that we aren’t going to listen to God.  No, we use more subtle methods.

  • God commands us to love, yet, we add conditions to our love and when those conditions aren’t met, well, (we think) that’s not our fault.
  • God commands us to forgive, yet, we hold “justified” grudges.
  • God says to be honest, yet, we claim white lies are merciful.

In Luke 5:4-6, Jesus told Peter to let down his nets for a catch, and although Peter and his partners had worked all night and caught nothing, Peter listened to the Lord and his nets were filled.

In Luke 18: 21-23, Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell everything and follow him. “When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.” He listened to the Lord, as well.

One was blessed and the other was sad. What’s the difference between these two scenarios? Both men listened to Jesus but differently. Peter listened to Jesus, decided to obey and was blessed. The rich young ruler listened to Jesus, decided to disobey, and was sad.  What you do with what you hear is just as important as listening.

The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious;
I have not drawn back.
Isaiah 50:5

God’s listening.  Are you?

* * * * *

Lord, thank You that You speak to us through Your word and through Your spirit…during the quiet of the night and the roar of the storm. You are faithful. Give us listening ears and obeying hearts and help us to see You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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I Call to You

August 12, 2013 by

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Whether gazing at the stars, sitting with a loved one at the hospital, driving down the interstate, or kneeling by my bed, these are all special and intimate times if I’m calling out to my Heavenly Father to meet me in a time of prayer.

When someone prays, it’s NEVER mundane or ordinary.  For you see, the act of praying draws you to the throne room of our great God.  You make your dependence and love known for Him in those increments of time – whether it be moments or a long stretch of time.  When praying, you’ve just summoned the God of all creation into your presence to hear the matters and concerns of your heart!  And after you speak, you want Him to speak into your heart to give answers, direction, calmness, wisdom, and peace.

As I read Psalm 141, David makes many requests of the Lord in this prayer.  But today, my heart’s drawn to the first 2 verses.  Here, David begins with a sense of urgency and reveals his desire for his prayer to please the Lord.

O LORD, I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you.
May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
Psalms 141:1-2

David loved God, and because of their relationship, he desired for his prayers to be pleasing to God.  When you pray, a grateful heart toward Him should overflow and spill into your words. Those words of yours will be pleasing and beautiful to God.  He desires to hear every word of your every prayer.

Oh, like David, how I want God to come quickly to me and hear my voice when I cry out to Him! And just like the beautiful aroma that incense makes, may my prayers float heavenward to my God in a way that reminds Him of incense!  And in praise, may my hands be lifted at times to God to show my great love and adoration for Him!  He listens, cares, loves, answers, and forgives!

Friends, are you calling to God?  And calling often?  Do you desire for your prayers to be set before Him like incense?  Do you praise Him in your life and in your prayers?

* * * * *

Lord, when I gaze at the stars, let my words be like incense as I praise You for Your great and mighty handiwork that only You could design.  Lord, when I sit praying for a sick friend, come quickly to hear my heart’s cry for help and comfort.  Lord, when I’m driving down the interstate praying for the concerns of my heart, thank You for listening when I call to You.  And, Lord, when I kneel by my bed or bow my head in reverence to You at anytime, thank You for caring, listening, and helping Your child who loves and needs You!  In Jesus’ precious Name I pray, Amen.

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Giving Thanks and Praise

August 9, 2013 by

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Last week was one of those weeks where I just wanted to throw my hands up in the air, scream, and just get away from what I was doing.  Nothing was going right.  At least in my mind, it was not going right.  In God’s eyes it was going right—right as He planned.

It seemed like I couldn’t do anything right at work, and it led to a literal crying meltdown.  Thankfully, one of our professors walked by my office and saw me crying.  Thank God for sending her.  I was just ready to walk out.

Thank God. It’s one of those phrases that many of us say on a daily basis. Thank God. Remember the preschool prayer, “God is great. God is good. Thank you for our food…Amen.”  We have been trained to thank God since we were toddlers.

Enter His gates with Thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name.

Psalm 100:4

This verse has struck me for the past few days. We should thank God regardless of the situation. We should thank God for everything that He has given us on a daily basis, and thank Him everyday for sending His son, Jesus, to die for us.  He did not have to do that.  God stopped Abraham from killing Issac even though He had commanded Abraham to do so.  Abraham was doing as He commanded through his worship to God.  He was showing praise and thankfulness by doing as he was commanded.  Yet God stopped him.  Abraham was thankful for his blessing from God and was willing to sacrifice his own God-given son as commanded.  Yet God stopped him, but God did not stop Himself when Jesus hung on the Cross.  We should give thanks and praise for this every day.  Abraham was praising and thanking God by doing what he was commanded to do.  Jesus did the same on the cross when He followed God’s will for His life by dying for us. Thank God.

I try to thank God for everything I have everyday, whether it be when I first wake up or when I go to bed.  We should praise God everyday.  When we go to church, we praise the Lord through song, prayer, and worship.  Yet we are still in His courts when we leave the church door because we are still in the world He created.  His court is everywhere, not just at the church house door. Thank God. Praise God.

* * * * *

Thank You, God.  Just thank You for all your blessings and the life you have given us.  May we praise Your name and thank You for all our days.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

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Experiencing God

August 8, 2013 by

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Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise;
give thanks to Him and praise His name.
Psalm 100:4

Psalm 100 holds the key to intimacy with God. Using that key we can unlock a powerful encounter with Him, just as David was able to thousands of years ago.

The first thing to remember is that there are gates between heaven and earth. The Book of Revelation explains that each gate is made from a single pearl—the pearly gates.

The good news is that when we are saved by Jesus, God forgives our sins and adopts us as sons and daughters; He becomes our heavenly Father.  Do royal children have the right to enter the Kingdom?  Absolutely!

Remember the older brother in the story of the prodigal son? The one who stayed home and obeyed his father?  He complains that the father never even gave him a young goat but threw a great party for the wayward son.  ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.’  All he had to do was ask.

Here’s how to do that:

Step 1: We cause the gates of heaven to open by thanking God for all He has done. Thank Him for lots of different things, or for one thing over and over.  If nothing particular comes to mind, just say “thank You, Lord,” over and over.  Musical people can sing songs of thanksgiving.  After an hour or two (or maybe simply a couple of minutes) we stop thinking about ourselves and our problems, and find ourselves focused on eternity. The  atmosphere changes. It’s time to move onto praise.

Step 2: It is time to come into His courts and enter the very presence of God. We do this by praising Him. Again, we can praise Him for many different things—Who He is, what He has done, what He is going to do, for example.  Or we can focus on one thing and praise Him for that over and over. If nothing comes to mind, simply declare “I praise You, Lord!”  Musical people can sing songs of praise.

Step 3: At some point we will sense a powerful intimacy with God. In this place it is easy to discern what is important to Him, and just how to pray. Often we experience insights and receive strategies about Kingdom plans. Sometimes He gives us things, and not just in the spirit.

Don’t be like the older son who served his father diligently but never knew how to receive anything back. We have a generous Father who loves to give gifts to His children.

Go and spend some time with Him in His courts now.

* * * * *

Dear Father,

We love to come before Your throne of grace…to thank You for how wonderful and awesome and incredible You are!  And to sing our praises from our grateful hearts!  May we never hesitate to seek You and ask our heavenly Father for the things that You have promised!  You are such a good, gracious, loving God!  In Jesus’ name, we pray and ask.
Amen.

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The Sheep of His Pasture

August 7, 2013 by

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Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Psalm 100:3

My feet hit the floor after I roll off my air mattress.  I don’t know what the day holds.  That’s the case for all of us, right?  One thing I can be assured of, though, is that I know my God, and where the Shepherd leads, I want to be! My designated “sheep” spot in the world today is in Chicago.  I’m on a mission trip with a group from my church.  We are stepping out in faith.  Wherever the Shepherd is, let His sheep be – showing others that we are His by following Him closely because we are His. Sheep never know how much walking they will do or where they will go.  But they do know their Shepherd and follow.

We met at the park and divided into teams. Each team would go to a heavily-traveled area in Chicago and ask people, “Is there anything we can pray about for you today?” As I was walking to our destination, I was getting my heart prepared.

In Chicago, there are so many people with diverse cultures and backgrounds. I looked around me.  Buildings were high and sirens were blaring. Darkness looms in many hearts here.  Could I be a light on the corner of a busy street in Chicago with one simple question?  I was about to find out.  Thousands pass each other without ever saying a word. We arrived at our spot.  We know that God made us; we are His.  Through what we’re about to do, others will easily see that we are “the sheep of his pasture.”   We huddled and prayed before beginning.  The question was asked – numerous times!  Wow!  God used one little question to break down the walls of isolation that people build to separate themselves from others! Many let us pray for them!

At times, you saw pain in their eyes.  We were thanked, ignored, and refused.  When we did pray though, God brought us together as we called out to Him. We saw Hispanic, Polish, black, and white people – many people with many burdens – some voiced and some not. There’s such a lost world out there – so many lost sheep – who all need a Savior, a Shepherd for all times!  We kept stepping forward to try to pray with them. Today, our “pasture” was made of concrete in the little spot of the world where our Shepherd called us.

What about you?  Can others tell that you are His sheep – that you know Him, trust Him, and follow Him?  I hope so, friends!

*****

Dear Heavenly Father, You love and care for us so!  Let our every day reflect that we follow You and as Your sheep we willingly walk closely with You to bring great glory to You and show others that knowing and trusting You is our great passion!  In Jesus’ Holy Precious Name.  Amen!

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