Understanding Ways

As we grow with God, we learn to know His ways. This is a goal for us as believers. As I was thinking about this it made me not only want to know God’s ways, but to really understand what that means. We have some examples in the scriptures.

Psalms 103:7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

Moses knew God’s ways, in contrast to the children of Israel that only saw His acts. He wanted to know God’s ways because it meant he would know God.

Exodus 33:13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

The result was that Moses was the one that routinely trusted God for deliverance. Moses spent time with God regularly, but the children of Israel wanted Moses to God see God and come back and tell them the result.

Exodus 20:18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

This is where we want to be with God. Moses had confidence in God after all that he had seen and experienced. Moses took these things to heart. If we can do the same, then we will be like the first century church. At first they were all Jews that had been looking for their Messiah. When He came and died and rose again, they understood what God was doing and they knew God. We need to be this same way, confident in our God as our deliverer King. Today, let’s spend time asking God to show us His ways that we might know Him personally and not as someone that just sees a miracle or some good thing at a distance.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as our Most High King. We want to know You; we want to know Your ways. Please help us to learn what it means to love You and our neighbors. Help us to be like You. Help us to promote Your kingdom in this earth. Show us who to reach out to to bring healing and deliverance. Please send us Your provision and deliverance today Lord. And we praise and thank You for all You do for us today and everyday. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

The Push

I can remember growing up many stories told about how people gave in just before they would have won. At the moment I cannot give an exact reference, but I am sure you can remember a story as well. Wouldn’t it be a terrible thing to know that the hour before you wan a lottery you tore up your ticket? How about the minute before your child won a scholarship they took their name out of the running? These are good examples I think about when I feel like giving up my walk with God. These days that does not happen often, nor literally, but when I was younger it happened more frequently than I care to mention.

God so cares for us and wants us to win our battles. But we are human. We can become frustrated. And the world around us can scream in our ear. At those moments when I am wanting to quit, I can hear Paul’s words ringing in my ear.

Phillipians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

My first thought in reading this is, Paul did not think he had gotten “there” yet? Whoa! What chance do I have, really? But then I realize Paul was saying, “Hey, I am human. This stuff is hard and I screw it up. But I refuse to quit!” That’s what I want my battle cry to be.

Today, if it is tough, just muster up the courage to say to yourself out loud, “I am NOT a quitter, and I will not quit! God is on my side!”

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. Please be with us today when we are weary. Please help us to not give up and to not give in. Reach out to Your people today and hold us up. Help us make it one more day with a smile on our face and a song in our hearts to You. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Those Things That Give Us Pause

Life has many wonders. The butterfly emerging from the cocoon. A baby’s smile. A kitten sleeping in the lap of a young child. A woman with her new born child. Loving from afar. An all powerful Creator that calls me friend and has my back. These things give me pause. The writer of the Proverbs also reflected in a similar manner.

Proverbs 30:18 There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:
19 The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.

Our lists are different. But we share the same point. We serve a marvelous and awesome God!

Psalms 93:1 The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.

And we should also let our hearts pour out to God with thanks for all He does for us.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Most High God. You walk in such Majesty. You ride on the clouds. We praise You and give You honor, in You is our strength. Come quickly! In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

So Many…

Today as I set about my prayer time I thought about all of those in need. There is an orphanage in Africa that our church supports in South Sudan. Recent struggles there are causing them to have to send many of the children away, and the rest are in peril. I thought about all of the people here in the U.S. that have experienced extended unemployment and how they struggle to feed their families and provide a place for their families to live. There are so many in need, so many.

In times like these I find myself crying out to God for mercy for His people, for the widows and for the orphans. Our God hears us when we cry out to Him. He has a plan to show our lives as a sign for good to the rest of the world.

Psalms 86:15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
16 O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.
17 Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, Lord, hast holpen me, and comforted me.

Those that are against us can be people. They can also be the forces of darkness. Regardless of who our enemies are at any time, God has compassion on us. He will respond to our cries for help. He will show us to be a token for good.

Today, if you are one of the people in need, call out to our God, for He will surely show You His mercy and truth. And if that is not you, please pray for those in these places of need, for God will surely hear Your prayers for them.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High God. We cry out to You today, Father, for ourselves and for others that are in need. Please hear our cries, Lord, and deliver Your people mightily today. Please deliver Your people in a way that shows them a token for good that both those people that oppose us and those dark spiritual forces that oppress us will know that You alone are God. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Broken Down, Without Walls

Have you ever struggled with thoughts in your mind that you wish you could get rid of permanently? I am thinking of those thoughts that if Jesus was standing in front of you and you had to say them our loud, you would be embarrassed. These thoughts are usually tied to some type of emotional response that is not good – hatred, greed, lust, etc. This morning as I awoke from a dream, I had some thoughts like that and I asked God to help me get rid of them. He did. I will tell you how He helped me. Maybe it will help you as well. And I will show you some scriptures I found that really describe what happened.

Proverbs 25:28 He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

Proverbs describe what is going on in these situations. The word “rule” here means control. “Spirit” means wind or breath of a human or the actions that make up the life of a human. The word for “city” is interesting. It means a place that is guarded by waking up or watching. “Broken down” means there is an opening that is not intended. And the word “walls” means protection. Putting that together, it means If we have no control over our being, we will be like a guarded place with a breach in the protection. That really describes how I felt.

I discovered something finally when I called out to God with my voice. I heard myself. I actually began to talk to my mind, sort of muttering “No, I am not going to think that.” Then I continued to ask God out loud to take it away. I sensed He wanted me to continue to mutter, to speak to these thoughts. When I did, I went from those words to singing whatever spiritual song I could think of at the time. As I did, the thoughts tried to return. This time when I said “No” out loud, they were some how scrambled and destroyed. I think in pictures a lot, so for me is is like suddenly the computer screen gets all scrambled up. Finally, as I began to search the scriptures, God gave me the one above and also Psalms 104, which speaks about all of the great wonders of provision for all of creation that God has provided. There is one verse that fit this situation.

Psalms 104:33 I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
34 My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord.

If you have thoughts you wish would go away, try telling them out loud, “No” and then ask God for help. Sing His praises and He shows up. He will fight on your behalf. This is one way we gain control over our own spirit.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. We praise You for giving us the ability to control our own spirit when we cry out to You for help. We cannot do this without You Father. But we can do it with You. Please reach out to Your people today and give them the provision recorded in Psalms 104 today Father. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Don’t Listen To Lies

Sometimes when I sleep, God teaches me things through dreams. As my wife and I were getting ready to turn in for the evening last night, God had me go back downstairs to pray. I spent about an hour in intercessory prayer for various people and places. I felt the strong presence of angels in the room with me, so I spent time telling them how great God is and also told them to watch over people. When I then returned to bed, in the night, I began to have dreams.

In my dreams I was steadily experiencing some type of disruption. There was a dream where an alligator was near my feet with his mouth open. He was big enough to swallow me, and I was sliding towards his wide open jaws. I had a large caliber pistol in my hand and then a flurry of thoughts came to my mind. “If you shoot yourself in the head you won’t feel it when he eats you,” the thought said. I wondered if that was true. I wondered if it mattered how I shot myself, like would I die faster if I had the gun in my mouth. Then something even stranger happened. The alligator became a shark, and I still wasn’t in its mouth. Then a giant cat of some sort, then a bear, and then finally I realized what was going on. This was an attack. I held the weapon to destroy myself or to destroy my enemy. The creature then turned back into an alligator, and I cocked the pistol and fired into its open mouth, the bullets destroying the brain of the creature, and it died and disappeared. I woke up.

As I woke I began to think of various issues in life, some real and some imagined. It was still night and I needed to sleep, but the thoughts were keeping me awake. Then I realized this was like the dream. I began to battle the thoughts by forcing myself to think about Jesus. I muttered some prayers quietly, telling God I needed His help. I told God I will trust Him and I needed His deliverance from those thoughts at that moment. Suddenly the flurry of troubled thoughts just stopped and I felt a peace as I fell asleep. So what really happened? Two things.

God is our defender against the one who wants to kill us.

Psalms 121:1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.

Our enemy seeks to destroy us.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

And Paul, quoting Moses, tells us we have the power to change things in our mouth.

Romans 10:6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
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.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Whether asleep or awake, God defends us. Our enemy will attack, whether we are asleep or awake. And we can turn to God and with our mouth call upon Him and He will deliver us. Remember, God is on our side, always at all times, and will never leave us defenseless. Our God is King!

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as our Most High King. We thank You that You watch over us while we sleep. The enemy is against us and we are under attack. Break his teeth and grind him to powder Father. Defend Your people today, Lord. Please give us our healing, deliverance, and provisions speedily today. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Becoming David

Most of us know some or all of the story about David and Goliath. David was the smallest amongst his brothers. He was left to the menial task, to tend the sheep while the brothers did the more glorious work of going off to fight in the war. The army was facing the Philistines, and they had a giant of a warrior named Goliath. He challenged any man to fight him, and none of the army of the Israelites would go. They were afraid. David is sent by his father to take his brother food. David comes upon the scene and wanders why they are all afraid. Doesn’t that seem odd for a shepherd that is short in stature?

1 Samuel 17:32 And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
37 David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.

So David went against Goliath, and killed. He knocked him down with a slingshot, and then killed him by cutting off his head with his own sword. So those that serve God won the day, and God delivered them. But there is something to ask here. How did this happen exactly? What I mean is, we look at it in the past. When your are running straight at the giant with a slingshot against shield and sword, what does that feel like? I understand that David fought off the lion and the bear, again in the past. So what does it feel like to look a lion in the face and you are holding the fur under his chin? How do you get to that point?

David’s brothers made fun of him and belittled him in public. I would guess he was used to ridicule. Obviously his father loved him, and he was a defender of his father’s sheep. Given the number and intensity of the psalms that he wrote, David seems to have been a man of passion from a young child. And he believed the stories in the scriptures about God as their deliverer. He probably did not know what to expect with the lion, but after that, the bear was easier. Finally the battle with Goliath was just that next step. It seems that the path to follow is to be passionate toward the Living God, and let Him lead and guide us through a series of challenges, fighting side by side with us, so we learn to trust Him. Perhaps giving God a chance to grow us up is the key to becoming David.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. You are so majestic in the heavens as You watch over Your creation. Please help us as we battle the lion, the bear, and the giants in our lives. Only You can defeat these enemies that we fight. I ask today that You crush them, and grind them to powder to be blown away in the wind, that all men may know that You alone are the One True God and we are Your people. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

The Harder Question

Many times I have heard preached from the pulpit that we can have what we pray for if we believe.

Mark 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

I have also heard this same thinking condemned. To say it is completely incorrect would make what Jesus said untrue. But we know that Jesus did not lie, otherwise He would not be the perfect sacrifice and then we would not be saved. So what is the answer?

It seems to me that the answer really leads to the harder question. To better understand we must look at all of what happened.

Mark 11:12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

Jesus had entered into Jerusalem, visited the temple, and then He and the disciples went to Bethany for the night. As they returned He was hungry. He saw the fig tree at a distance and went there to eat. Finding nothing, He cursed the tree. They went into town where Jesus cleansed the temple, and on the return they found the tree withered.

Mark 11:19 And when even was come, he went out of the city.
20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.

So what is the harder question? The clue is in the first part of what Jesus said to Peter.

Mark 11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

We need to dig a little deeper into the “faith in God” statement. What does that mean?

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

In Paul’s letter to the Hebrews we see that faith is somehow material. It is this material that gives us understanding that what is seen comes from the unseen. And to please God we must not only believe in His existence, but believe He rewards us for seeking Him diligently. Seeking diligently sounds like more than a Sunday morning social event. In fact, David repeatedly said in the Psalms that he sought God early and basically all the time. Jesus said He only said and did what He saw the Father saying and doing. That sounds like a continual relationship. In fact, He would have had to hear God saying this about the tree for Him to curse it. God is for life. The tree not having fruit for them to eat violated the need for them to be sustained. And it provided a pretty good object lesson opportunity. So what then is the harder question? Here we go.

Do we spend enough time with God to be able to only say and do what He is saying and doing? Are we sure enough in ourselves that this is His creation in which He is active at all times? Has that evolved into a material inside of of certainty that is that substance of faith that knows God will reward us? Okay, so maybe three questions.

If we seek God earnestly, He finds us and resides with us. He will guide our heart, our sayings, our doings, and our prayers. When that happens, then yes, you can rest assured that you will receive whatever you ask for because you will only be asking for what God wants you to ask for at that moment in time. Will you get it right all the time? Unlikely. But God will be right beside you and in you, encouraging you to try again. It just takes faith.

Prayer
Father, we praise You for being our God. Thank You for giving us the scriptures which contain Your words and wisdom. Help us to seek You early. Help us to be found by You and to hear Your voice, and see the work of Your hands. Help us to pray for ourselves and others those things You want to have come to pass. Deliver your people today, give them their daily provision, and Your peace. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Mixed Emotions

Recently I had some good news, and also some news about how certain people were behaving wrongly, using the court system to oppress people. Actually, the news is full of these stories frequently. It left me wondering how we as believers are to respond towards these actions. As I prayed about this and other things in my mind all that kept coming to mind was the head of a large serpent looking at me. I looked up scriptures about serpents and came across two that were interesting.

Psalms 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

The psalmist begins by describing the wicked as those that lie. In fact he does not speak in a flattering way at all about these people, showing them to be evil people trying to harm the people of God. Most of the balance of this psalm talks about various harsh experiences that will come upon these evil people.

Psalms 58:10 The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

In the end these things happen to the evil people and the people of God are lifted up so that everyone knows God delivers His people. There is a similar yet a little less blunt description in another psalm that speaks about evil men as serpents.

Psalms 140:1 Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man;
2 Which imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together for war.
3 They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders’ poison is under their lips. Selah.
4 Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow my goings.

Here David is the psalmist and he directly speaks about the evil people that want to cast him down. In David’s time that meant war. Today there are other ways that evil men try to attack God’s people. This psalm is similar to Psalms 58 in the ending of it.

Psalms 140:11 Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth: evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.
12 I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor.
13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.

Again, the evil people are made to feel their own evil and God’s people are upheld by Him. I noted that the cause of the afflicted and the right of the poor are something that David knew God would stand and defend.

So these are my mixed emotions. These types of psalms that cry out for deliverance and give praise to God for overthrowing evil then raising up His people, they are throughout the Psalms. It seems like David was often singing these types of songs to God. On the one hand I feel sad for the evil people because I know I am not perfect either. On the other hand it appears that this is a pattern for us to fight against the evil that comes in our lives, and that can include people. Paul instructs us to sing psalms to ourselves and others as a means of building them and us up. It appears that this is a part of a believer’s ministry, to sing into existence the judgments of God that all men may know that God alone is King, and that He looks out for the poor and afflicted, and will preserve His people.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You today. We are blessed to have You for our King. We want to do the things You are doing and say the things You are saying. Please help us to do those things and say those things. Sometimes we struggle with being a people that take a stand, not because we don’t want to but because we are uncertain what stand You want us to take. Please give us Your wisdom. Please help us have the strength and the courage to stand as You would stand. We ask that You cast down the spiritual darkness and the evil people that come against Your children, and that You raise up Your people that all men may know You are God. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

The Sun Singer

Today I was reading Psalms 19, which I have not read in a while. As I read through it I discovered that this Psalm is the source of several songs. I found myself at YouTube listening to some of the older versions of the song with the chorus, “More to Be Desired than Gold”, and some of the newer songs. As I reread the Psalm, I saw something new that I had not seen before.

In verses 1-6, the psalmist is telling us how the heavens are set to sing to the rest of creation.

Psalms 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

In verse one we are told that we will both hear and see God’s glory and handiwork. Verse two says this goes on day and night. Verse three tells us there is no place where it is not heard, that every language everywhere hears what is being said.

Psalms 19:4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

Verse four tells that their line (their ability to bind, connect, and measure) has gone through all the earth along with their words. At this point I began to wonder who was singing and what were they singing, because their line and words made a place for the sun to dwell (the tabernacle for the sun).

Psalms 19:5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

In verses five and six we see that at least one of the singers is the sun as it moves across the sky. The sun is referred to as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber. A bridegroom coming to the wedding has great intent! And the description of the comparison to the one that shouts and carries on at a sporting event, the runner at the race, makes clear that their is not only great resolve but that the sun is shouting across the sky the praises of our God. What are those praises?

Psalms 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

Today, let’s join with the heavens and the firmament, singing the praises of our God!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High God. To You we give all honor and glory and praise. You alone are worthy, and You alone are the One that delivers Your people. Deliver Your people today, Great and Mighty King! In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.