We Know We Are Cared For

The sun shines brightly today, although the temperature is brisk. We are about to finally head into winter it would appear. As I sit here thinking about all that will be entailed over the next few months, I am encouraged by what God tells us in scripture. The picture of who are God is to us is really amazing when we think of the harshness that the world can offer. A number of these are in the Psalms.

Psalms 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Here the Psalmist tells us that all of our days have both goodness and mercy in them. Still other scriptures speak of His protection and provision.

Psalms 21:1 The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
2 Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.
3 For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.
4 He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever.
5 His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.
6 For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.
7 For the king trusteth in the Lord, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.

Psalms 34:7 The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
9 O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.
10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.

Psalms 113:7 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;
8 That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.
9 He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.

These scriptures paint a pretty clear picture that our God watches over us and cares for us. He delivers us from our enemies. He provides food and shelter. Today we can know that our God is with us. He will provide.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy to be praised and honored in Your house. You alone are worthy. Send us Your kingdom Father. Give us today Your overwhelming provision that it would overflow our ability to hold it. Forgive us our transgressions. Give us wisdom that we might walk in Your ways. We love You. Heal us and deliver us. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Watching For The Signs

God is ever watching over His people. He loves us and wants to ensure our safety and happiness. He has always been there, and He has always given His people notice when there is something they need to know. The scriptures tell us that God lets His people know what is happening.

Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

In these times, God speaks to all mankind. He has poured His Spirit out on all flesh, not just the prophets.

Acts 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

God gives us signs. We have to be watchful to see the signs He has laid out in front of us. He wants to always prepare us, and to show us His ways. If we ignore the signs, we risk harm to ourselves and others. But if we see them, He guides us.

We just have to watch to see the signs.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High God. Your kingdom is the only kingdom we desire. Send us today Your abundant provision. Forgive us our transgressions. Help us to be better people, people after Your own heart. We love You and long to be with You. Heal us and deliver us. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Beyond Belief

We are called as believers to a very different life. This calling has its challenges. We have been trained throughout most of our lives that the things we see around us are more real that what we believe. We are taught in fact that these things are the true reality. But we know differently. We believe that God is the source of all things. That is what the name “I Am That I Am” means.

Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

Because He is this source, there has always been power in Him and in His name. This can be seen when Jesus spoke as well.

John 18:6 As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.

But we need to act on our beliefs in Him and in His words to us.

James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

We can know that we serve the living true God. We can know that He will get us through, even when we are struggling to do the right thing and do the wrong thing. If we will do all we can to move toward the goal of doing His will and His words, He will make up the difference and teach us His ways.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High King. We need Your kingdom; please send it today. Give us overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sin. Heal us. Deliver us. Help us learn to walk our what we believe. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Being There

When we have obstacles in our lives they can keep us from seeing the truth about ourselves and our lives. Friday was such a day for me. It was very challenging. I was making something, a wood project, and made mistake after mistake. There were several times when things fell and the saw bucked where I should have been harmed. But God stopped them all. That was the truth that I was having trouble seeing. God is always there, always on our side, always watching over us, even when we are not doing well. Then while traveling I lost internet connectivity and could not write this. Now I see that God was teaching me that He is always there and always in charge.

Psalms 76:1 In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel.
2 In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion.
3 There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.
4 Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey.
5 The stouthearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep: and none of the men of might have found their hands.
6 At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.
7 Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?
8 Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still,
9 When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah.

We serve a very great God.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy to be praised. Thank You for Your ever present help and preservation, even when we are failing. Forgive us when we are failing, and help us back up. Send Your overwhelming provision. Heal us and deliver us. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Keeping Our Focus

Over the last few days there have been events that have given me cause to consider where to place my attention. What I have found is how easy it is to give attention to things that just are not that important. Not that these things are of no concern. We have to decide what is a priority and should get our attention. The most important thing in life is our God and our relationship to Him, followed by the interaction we have with each other. These are the things of value in life, or so say the scriptures.

Dueteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Mark 12:28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Life gets busy. It can be distracting. But our God has given us clear commandments and directions for living life that is full and has joy. WE can be thankful today that our God has in fact remembered His promise to Abraham, grafted us in to that blessing, and will never leave or forsake us. Praise God!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy to be glorified and praised. We give You our thanks for the lives You have given us. We need You and we need Your kingdom here on the earth. Send us today Your abundant provision. Guide us and keep us in Your ways, and forgive us when we make mistakes. We love You. Heal us and deliver us, and we shall be made whole. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

From The Dawn

The battle we face is not distant. It is not even at a time of convenience. Our battle takes place wherever we are, and can be at any time. This is because we have an evil enemy that is spiritual.

Ephesians 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

This enemy is on a clear mission. It is to destroy us.

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

But even as he tries to destroy us, Jesus is there to protect and fight for us. We can count on Him to be there at all times. This battle even happens as we fall to sleep or as we wake. This is why David called to God at all times, and why God answers at all times.

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.
6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Isaiah 26:9With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

If you find yourself under attack whether in your body or mind, whether morning, noon, or night, call out to our God and He alone will rescue.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You and thank You for coming to our rescue at all times. You alone are worthy of all our praise. Let Your kingdom reign in this earth. Forgive us when we transgress Your commands, and teach us Your ways. Heal us and deliver us. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

When Change Is Good

We are called as believers. What does that mean? On the one hand we know that God loves us just as we are. On the other hand we also know that we are to be like Jesus our Messiah. That means change. Sometimes change is in an instant, and sometimes it takes time. In all cases it takes recognition for the need for change. For those of us that have been through relationships inside and outside our families that were less than positive, this can be a challenge. We have been told all our lives in these relationships how we are just not good enough. Knowing that God loves us as we are is essential to healing process and one of the things that drew us to God. So, when we have to admit we need to change, that can be tough. Perhaps what it takes is knowing God well enough that we can trust Him enough to admit the truth to him. One man did this and Jesus pointed him out as an example to us.

Luke 18:9And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

We can trust our God to love us no matter what. We can tell Him the truth about us, and when we do, He can heal and deliver us. He can help us to change.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy of all the glory there is. In Your kingdom Your light dispels all darkness and condemnation. Send us that kingdom today. Let us enjoy and experience Your overflowing provision today. Forgive us our mistakes and let Your will live in us that we might do it. Heal us and deliver us. In Jesus (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.