March 29, 2024

Truth We Can Depend On

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Every word of God proves true.
    He is a shield to all who come to Him for protection.
Proverbs 30:5  NLT

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 And The Message version reads,

Every promise of God proves true;
He protects everyone who runs to Him for help.

Does it boggle your mind to try to understand that every (all possible) word of God proves (shows beyond doubt) that it is true (accurate, faithful)?  In our human experience, with ourselves and with those around us, we know that kind of perfection and faithfulness doesn’t exist 100% of the time.

Thankfully, it is true for God’s Word.  In the Amplified, it says His words are “…tested and refined like silver.”  And Psalm 12:6 states, “The Lord’s promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over.”  That leaves absolutely no imperfections.

Your promises have been thoroughly tested;
that is why I love them so much.
Psalm 119:140

Because of this purity, God’s Word is sure and we can trust it.  God is one with His Word.  God promises to protect all who come to Him, and we can be sure He will.

God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable],
A very present and well-proved help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1 AMP

In the midst of life’s conflicts and disappointments, God is our Shield. Shields come in many different shapes and sizes. Some are tall to cover the warrior from head to toe. Some other shapes are made to protect the most vital organs, and to deflect the enemy’s weapons from harming the warrior. Spiritually speaking, God does exactly that.  When we come (run) to Him, He is there to protect us from the “fiery darts” of the enemy.  In Ephesians 6:16, God says, “…in all circumstances take up the shield of faith.”  God is there for us, but in faith we must come to Him and accept (take up) His protection.

  • The more we know Jesus, the more we will know God’s Word:

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we have seen His glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.
John 1:1, 14

  •  The more we know Jesus, the more we know the Father:

I and the Father are one.
John 10:30

  • The more we know Jesus, the more we know the Father’s Truth:

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one can come to the Father except through Me.”
John 14:6

 

  • The more we know Jesus, the more we will be sanctified and protected by God’s Truth.

Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth.
John 17:17

If we will study Jesus—His life, His words, His relationships with others, and His relationship with God the Father—we will know that God’s Word is truth and we can trust it.  We will have the assurance that we can run to God and find the protection we need.  We will walk in faith, and be shielded by Him.

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Dear God, we are so grateful that we have Your Word to turn to.  Life is not easy, and, we need Your protection even when we don’t realize it.  Help us, Lord, not to just “pick up” Your shield in times of imminent danger…but to live our lives getting to know Jesus, Your Word, so we can be in Your protection at all times.  Thank You for the promise that “Every word of God proves true.”  In Jesus’ Precious Name we pray, Amen.

Refiner’s Fire

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Purify my heart
Let me be as gold and precious silver
Purify my heart
Let me be as gold, pure gold

Refiner’s fire
My heart’s one desire
Is to be holy
Set apart for You, Lord
I choose to be holy
Set apart for You, my Master
Ready to do Your will

Purify my heart
Cleanse me from within
And make me holy

Purify my heart
Cleanse me from my sin
Deep within

Brian Doerksen
singer/songwriter

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There are numerous uses for fire.  Fire on a torch will light the way in a cavern.  A bonfire can provide warmth and a place to prepare food for campers.  A fire can also destroy property and lives, as we have seen this summer in the Western states.

There is a fire that I definitely want in my life.  This fire destroys the impurities in my life. It is the Refiner’s Fire.

“Behold, I send my messenger, and He will prepare the way before Me.
And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple;
and the Messenger of the covenant in Whom you delight,
behold, He is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
But who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears?
For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.
He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver,
and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver,
and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.
Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord
as in the days of old and as in former years.
Malachi 3:1-4

Silver doesn’t come right out of the ground pure.  It is found in dirt, surrounded by other minerals such as copper, lead, and zinc.  To get the pure silver that has value, it must be refined.  There are several different refining methods, but the one that intrigues me most is the refining fire.  Silver melts at very high temperatures.  It is lightweight compared to other minerals, so it will float to the top; and the dross (the other minerals and impurities) will separate from the silver so it can be extracted in its pure form.  A similar process is done to purify gold, as well.

Do you see a comparison with our lives?  Each of us is precious in God’s sight since He created us in His image.  But each of us in our carnal nature comes to Jesus imperfect, impure.  We have sin (dirt) in our lives. We have bad habits (copper), bad attitudes (zinc), and even fears (lead) that cling to us and weigh us down. To stay in His presence we must become perfect, pure even as God is pure.

Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him.
Proverbs 30:5 KJV
[The Douay-Rheims Bible says, “Every word of God is fire tried:”]

The LORD’s promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over.
Psalm 12:6 NLT

As for God, His way is blameless (pure); the word of the LORD is tested;
2 Samuel 22:13NAS

I want to stay in the presence of my/our pure and holy God.  I can’t do that without allowing Him to refine me.  I sing this song with the sincere desire to be purified, cleansed of all impurities that cling to my life.  The refining fire may hurt because there are things in my carnal nature that I don’t want to let go.  But when I submit to God’s purifying, I find that I’m very glad to get rid of those impurities and their weight.

…let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely,
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us….
Hebrews 12:1 ESV

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So I pray today and I hope you will join me:
Lord, purify my heart.  Please cleanse me from deep within.  I choose to allow You to use Your refining fire to cleanse the dross of my life away.  Please forgive me, Lord, for holding onto those things which tarnish the precious creation that You made me to be.  My one desire, Lord, is to be set apart for You—pure and holy—so I am ready to do Your Will.  In Jesus’ pure and holy Name, I pray.  Amen.

Desert Song

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

This is my prayer in the desert
When all that’s within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides

And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me, Lord, through the flame

And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

And this is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on its way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I’ll stand

All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I’m filled to be emptied again
The seed I’ve received I will sow

Performed by Hillsong United / Songwriter: Brooke Fraser

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Thank You, Father, that ‘in every season You are still God,
and, even in the desert, I have reason to sing’…because I have You.

Even in the fire we are being refined. And, just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abendago, we will come out better, stronger, and not even smelling like smoke. Thank You, Lord, for the victory ahead.

See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
Isaiah 48:10 NIV

“Every one of us is a potential diamond in the rough. Embedded within each person are diamond-like qualities waiting to be mined bringing joy to our Maker, others, and ourselves. Are we willing to endure the pressure, the cutting, and the polishing of the Master Jeweler to bring out the diamond within us?”

A quote from God’s Diamond in the Rough.

Click here to go to Prevail Magazine.org

So, are we willing to let God refine us through the fire and be looking for the good that will come in the desert seasons?  When we give praise in the desert, He will give us the strength that we need to overcome.  God is our Victory!  Praise Him that He is here….

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him
Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9 ESV

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Heavenly Father, I thank You that even in the desert You have not left us and that we always have a reason to sing in every season because we have You. Thank You for strength and peace as we are awaiting the triumph that is on the way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.