Focusing

Life is an amazing collection of sights and sounds and smells – all the things that make up the events that we experience everyday. The scriptures seem to indicate that to some degree how we look at life is how it turns out.

Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…

Jesus also made similar comments about our thought life.

Matthew 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

And Paul and Moses tied the power to change our lives, and in Paul’s case our eternity, to what we say.

Deuteronomy 30:14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.

Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

I do not know exactly what the full impact is, but to some degree we control our lives and our destiny with what we think and what we say. Today when I got up I just began to sing thanks to God with an older contemporary tune for a psalm. It helped me to focus on God and on the fact that He alone is my provider. I was able to put off the business of life long enough to get back in tune with Him and what He is doing today.

If your day today (or any day) is starting to spin a little out of control, try taking just a moment to look up and say thank you. Sing your Dad a little tune, even if you are like me and don’t sing well. He will love it, just like He loves you!

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Most High God. Today we are very thankful for all You do. We very much appreciate that You are holding everything together for us. Today we ask that You send to us, to Your people, the blessing of increase upon increase that You have already promised us in scripture. We ask that You send healing, and deliverance, and provision such that no man can doubt that You alone are God. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Directed

The last few days have been interesting for me and my family. There have been some ups and downs that at the moment they occur seem big or strong. But in the end when we try to review them more realistically, we find that perhaps they are not as significant as they once seemed. What I mean by that is if I put them in perspective, they are just another day. The way I put them in perspective is by looking into the scriptures to see how my experiences are lining up. This morning for example I was contemplating two things, being thankful and how I can fall short of God’s expectations. I am thankful because God always looks out for His people, but I am sad because there are things I could do better in the kingdom of God, but fall short. I found a scripture that did a good job of capturing what I was feeling.

Psalms 119:ALEPH.
1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.
2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.
4 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.
5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!
6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.
7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
8 I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.

In this part of Psalms 119 the psalmist says that those that are undefiled and walk in God’s ways are blessed in the first three verses. In the fourth verse we see that we are commanded to walk in God’s ways diligently. And then in verse five we see the emotion I was and am feeling, the cry to God that we want to be directed, somehow pressed into keeping God’s ways. Obviously the psalmist sees the benefits of following God and is thankful for that, but this desire to almost be “built that way” indicates that sometimes he does not hit the mark. He sees that he will be without shame and overjoyed with praise when he abandons all sin and walks after God and His ways. Finally, he ends with telling God he will keep God’s ways, and asks for God’s mercy as he stumbles through life trying to do the best he can.

Perhaps you read these scriptures differently than me today. Perhaps you do not have these feelings. But you likely know people that do. Let’s all pray to God that we may all walk in His ways, and praise Him with thanksgiving, as we move towards God’s calling on our lives.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Most High God. Please reach out to us today and help us to find Your ways. Help us to walk out our lives the ways You would have us walk. Please guide and keep us. Please help us do the right things. Please send us speedily the provision, the healing, and the deliverance we need. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Believing

My wife shared a scripture with me this morning that she was reading last night. It is in Paul’s letter to the Hebrews in chapter 3. Paul is talking about how those that came out of Egypt died in the wilderness because of their unbelief.

Hebrews 3:4 For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.
5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;
6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Paul says Moses was faithful in his family, his house, to all the things that God had said. Jesus was also faithful, and we can be a part of His family, His house, if we hold fast to the confidence which is our believing. This can be the really hard part at times, I think. When we face really tough times, we can become afraid. But we do not need to do that if we can believe and remain confident. This is a part of knowing God’s ways. If we will call out to God He will hear us and show us His ways. I am thankful that we can get to that place with God, but sometimes it is very difficult for me to hold on and believe. Maybe that is a big part of what life is about – learning to hold on and believe.

Today, if you are facing a challenge, call out to God and tell Him you want to trust Him, even if you are having a hard time with it. Ask for His help and He will show you His ways.

Prayer
Father, we praise and thank You for being our God. Help us to learn how to trust You. Help us to know You are with us. Help us to stand fast in Your truth. Please show us Your ways Father. Show us Your ways. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

The Desire To Be Thankful

When I consider all that God does for me I can be both very happy and sad at the same time. I am happy because it truly is amazing how God stand up for us. David gives us many examples of this.

Psalms 18:1 I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

David was very moved by God helping him in times of need. We have all felt that, right? Just think of it. The One that created everything and has all power comes to our defense when we call.

Psalms 18:17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay.
19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.

What an amazing story of deliverance. David spoke of his righteousness and clean hands as a reason why God came to his rescue. But we know David did some pretty awful things. How did he have clean hands? Not because of his actions, but because he tried to follow God’s statues. He knew God would take away from him what was not good, that God would help him become a better person. That is what David wanted, and that is what all believers that truly follow God want. We want to do the right thing, and we trust God to help us get there because without Him we cannot be better. That leads me to what makes me sad.

It would be great to always do the right thing. It would make me happy to at least be thankful at all times. But there are times when I find myself being upset my food is not as warm as I want, or my car makes a funny noise, or the family doesn’t clean up their dishes after dinner. I can get caught up in those things. And that makes me sad because those are such small things in comparison to all that God is and has done and will do for me. It is my desire that we can all get to a place of living in a state of thankfulness. Yes, it is good to take time to sing praises and thanks, but what about that being our natural state? Somehow it seems that God deserves that from us, from me. That is who I long to be. That is one thing I cry out to God to help me become – a person thankful at all times and in all situations.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are the Most High, yet You consider our every need before we even ask. Please help us. Please help us to change to be thankful to You for all You do no matter what is happening at the moment. Transform us. Help us get better. We love You, and want to be thankful at all times. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Morning And Evening

Our God is always on the job.

Psalms 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

We rely on many things around us to be available when we need it – the police, power, water, and more. When we as believers understand that our God is the one that watches over us, we feel a sense of not being alone in life. When we know that He does this continuously, it can be humbling. After all, He is the God of the universe, but He is looking out for each one of us, for you and for me. There is something we can do in response to such an amazing show of love toward us from God. We can thank Him, morning and evening, for all He has and will do.

Psalms 92:1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:
2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. When we think of how You care for us, we are overwhelmed. From deep within us we want to thank You for all You have done for us and all You will do for us.We praise Your name. You are our provider, our healer, our deliverer, and our salvation. Thank You for all these things that You do and are. We love You. Please be these things to us today as well. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Blessed By An Advocate

We are all the same, even though we are unique. We are unique as individuals that God created special and for a purpose. No one can exactly replace another. And yet, we are all the same because we are all human. It is in these times of humanity that we can still find peace and happiness, if we remember who we are to God. This morning as I pondered what our lives really are, I could see that if we allow ourselves to we can become convinced that the series of events we call daily life are what the purpose of our world is. But there is a bigger purpose; God’s purpose for the world and the people in it. The challenge we face is that we are all human, and humans tend to mess things up. But as John tells us in his second letter, there is hope for us humans, if we will accept it.

2 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Here John shows us some very important points. He gives us the ideal: don’t sin. Then the real: but when you do sin, you have an advocate in Jesus. The same is true for the following verses. We are to keep God’s commandments. If we do not, then when we say we know God we lie and have no truth in us. If we keep His word, then God’s love is perfected in us. But wait. How can perfect love be perfected? Love has to have a vehicle of expression, and that vehicle is each person that keeps God’s word. But we know from what was said earlier that we will all mess that up, being human, right? Well, we also know from the what was said earlier that we have a way back, and that way back is Jesus!

I am very thankful that we are all unique human beings. And I am also very thankful that when we mess up, which all humans do (one part of us that is the same), we have a way back to God by confessing our sin to Jesus and asking for His forgiveness.

Prayer
Father, we praise You today for being our God. We thank You for finding the mercy to reach out to us to help us get on track with You and Your plan for the world. Please reach out to us today, Father, and forgive us for our mistakes. Please send Your mercy and truth today, and give us Your healing and provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Out Of The Net

There are many things in life that can catch us off guard. It can feel like something just snuck up on us and grabbed us. It’s that sinking feeling that we have when we wonder how we will get by some event in life that seems too big for us. The event is real. The feeling, a result of the event, is real. Many times, we condemn ourselves for something we did wrong, which can have nothing to do with the event, and that self condemnation is real. And our God, bigger than all of them, is also real. And there is an answer to this in the Psalms.

Psalms 25:8 Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
11 For thy name’s sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
12 What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
13 His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.
14 The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.
15 Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.

In Psalms 25, the writer is singing to God about his need for deliverance from some enemy. We see here that the writer knows he has sinned. And he knows that he can ask God to forgive his sin, and God will forgive. The word “meek” here means someone that is depressed and/or sad. That’s the feeling when we face what seems like something too big for us, right? Notice that God’s response to the sin of His people is not to crush us, but to teach us, to show us the flow in verse 8. The teach in verse 9 and on is a stronger word meaning to provoke or prod or stimulate. When we are depressed about our situation, God wants to come to us in a strong way that gets us remembering Him and moving in the direction He is showing us. He then gives us His private counsel, His “secret”. And if we keep our eyes on Him, He plucks our feet out of the net.

Today, if you feel you are facing something bigger than you can deal with, or you know someone that is, please cry out to God. God will turn to you, to that person you are praying about, and deliver them. If we can approach God with a thankful heart, knowing that He is on our side, He always turns toward us to deliver us.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High God, King of the Universe and all that is. We cry out to You today Father, and ask that You forgive us our sins, and also forgive those wee know that are facing troubles. Please take us from the net of our enemies. We ask for Your private counsel. We ask for You to help us to live in a good place free from troubles, and walking on the road You show us. Thank You for all You do for us each and ever day, especially today. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

When Job Prayed

Job’s story is probably one of the most widely publicized stories of the bible in non-religious settings. Of course we learn about this story early on as believers as well, but it gets a lot of air time in general. Briefly, Job is one of God’s people that He is very proud of. The devil comes along and tells God the only reason Job serves God is because God gives Job the silver spoon treatment allowing no harm to come to him. God tells the devil he is wrong, and tells the devil he can do anything to Job he wants, except kill him.

Job’s life goes from fairy tale to disaster. Not only are family members dieing and he loses his worldly possessions, his friends turn on him. Even his wife feels Job must have done something really wrong to have all of the evil come his way. Job insists it is not true. But even his wife gives him grief about his relationship with God.

Job 2:7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
8 And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.
9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

Clearly Job faced challenges about what others thought about him and his relationship with God, even his wife. And this was at the very beginning of Job’s trials. As time goes by, more trials come his way, and Job stands fast in his testimony that God was true. Job’s “friends” continued to speak unkindly about Job. After enough is enough, God shows up, and reminds everyone just who He is and what He has done. Job tells God he will be silent in repentance. God tells Job’s friends they were wrong and to repent. Now here is the cool part.

Do you think Job turned to his friends and said, “I told you so”? I think I would have been tempted to do that. Not Job. Job immediately prayed for them. THEN, God gave to Job twice what he had ever had before.

Job 42:7 And it was so, that after the Lord had spoken these words unto Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.
8 Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.
9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the Lord commanded them: the Lord also accepted Job.
10 And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Today I have to say that I want to be more like Job, the one God accepts because I say the right things about God. Unfortunately all too often I have been like Job’s friends. How about you? I am so thankful that in those times there have been Job’s in my life praying for me. And I am thankful that God can teach me to be like Job.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Most High God. You created everything from the beginning. The majesty of Your creation is impossible for men to figure out. We thank You for bringing people into our lives that tell us the truth about You and who You are. Please watch over Your people today God. Please keep us safe from harm. Please deliver you people today, and provide for their every need. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

The Common People

When we have friends that we trust and feel comfortable being around, we talk. We ask questions. We discuss our lives and acknowledge when we don’t really understand something or don’t have the answer. But it doesn’t keep us from talking or asking the questions. Sometimes that is true in our relationship with God as well.

Mark 12:35 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David?
36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.

When Jesus was in the temple He asked the question about the scriptures that say that David referred to the Messiah as Lord, meaning he was God, yet the scribes called the Messiah the Son of David? We can get into a big theological discussion here about what the scribes meant or was Jesus referring to the virgin birth or raising the point that He was God or one of a million other things. Those are all great discussions, but they are not the point I am making here. The point is that the common people were able to identify with what He was saying. Why is that?

Perhaps the common people understood and received what He was saying because they were in the same place. This passage suggests that it is normal for those of us that are just common people to have and ask questions. Did you ever read scriptures or hear someone talk and have a question about it? That is why the common people accepted His words. They had questions. I know I have questions. This morning I asked God about a verse in Psalms 92.

Psalms 92:9 For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.

While I do want God to defend me from my enemies, for them to perish seems a bit harsh. Then I noticed that they are also scattered. How could they perish and be scattered? I could not understand it. So God had me look up the words perish and scattered. The word perish means to wander away. The word scattered means to break through like you are in a hurry. So I understood that God will just cause our enemies to wander off, and in a hurry. That made much more sense to me, and that is easy for me to pray and sing as a request to God, and to give thanks for Him making that happen.

It is not only okay to have questions, it is a good thing to ask questions. It is good because the only one with all the answers is God and the only way to get the answers is if we ask Him, like He is our friend, like it is okay to have questions, like we are really communicating and developing a relationship with the One that created the universe. And here is the great part for which I am very thankful. God wants to have that relationship with us! That, my friends, is amazing, and we can be thankful that He wants to be a Friend like that!

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. We are so thankful that You want to not only be our God, You want to be our Friend. We are thankful that You do not make fun of us when we have questions. We are thankful that You will supply Your answers in our lives. Today we just want to thank You for being our Healer, our Deliverer, our Provider, and the One that answers our questions when we talk to You. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

The Heart Sings

A new snowfall this morning covered the forest behind my house with a luxurious white fluffy blanket. God’s creation is indeed awesome to behold. Sometimes I do not let myself stop to think about the awesomeness. Instead I can get caught up in the activities and struggles we call life. When I focus on them, especially the struggles, they can become overwhelming. But when I stop myself early to consider God and His wondrous works, something happens.

Psalms 119:15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.
16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

By meditating on what God has appointed, His precepts, it leads me to respect His ways. The result as we see here in the psalms is twofold. First is the delight in what He has established. Our heart sings, and we are uplifted. This then seems to feedback on meditating on God, and we remember His word. God has said that He is on our side. He is our Protector. He is our Deliverer. He is the One true Healer. He is the One true Provider. He is our King. Praise to the King!

Let yourself spend some time meditating on God today. Perhaps you will be lead to read additional scriptures. Likely the focus on God will allow you to experience the freedom from focus and worries on other things in your life today.

Let your heart sing!

Prayer
Father, we thank You and praise You for being the One True God. Thank You for Your creation and the work You do in it every day and at all times. Please touch the hearts and minds of Your people today. Please provide for them the wisdom and understanding they need for today. Please heal their hearts and minds and bodies. Please send Your miraculous provision today. Stop our enemies Father. Let them not overwhelm or consume us. Let them not have victory over Your people. Raise us up and set us in the gate, the high places of our homes and towns, that all may know that You alone are the One True God, our King. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.