Presumption

As I spend another sabbath with my family and with God I think about the nature of who we are and what we do. My wife was sining a song that comes in part from a psalm.

Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

In thinking about the song I decided to look up the scripture. I found the verse just before this one.

Psalms 19:13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

Here the psalmist is asking God to keep him from presumptuous sin. As I studied this out, the word in the Hebrew for presumptuous means arrogant. I would not have thought that that was the meaning. But the more I considered what was being said, it made sense. When we suffer from arrogance, it actually takes hold or has dominion over us. And it is like putting us up as God or more important than God. I can see why the psalmist calls this one out. We need help to win over our flesh.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. thank you for all Your help in deliverance from ourselves. We ask that You for give us and keep us in Your way. Please send to us today what we need in healing, deliverance, and provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Who Will Stand?

This morning I was thinking about what we are doing as believers to advance the kingdom. The answer is, I think all we can, and yet we need to do more. Or at least we would like to do more. And here is what I came up with, for now. We have to take a stand. And I found this scripture.

Psalms 47:1 O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
2 For the Lord most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.
3 He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.
4 He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.
5 God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
8 God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.
9 The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.

And here we see that we need to praise our God. When we do, He puts the enemy under our feet.

Today, when you have an opportunity to think about the kingdom, push back! Take a stand, and praise our God, the Most High! Stand!

Praise
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Most High. We want to stand with You. Help us to stand. Pick us up if we fall. We love and exalt You. Please send to us our deliverance, our healing, and our provision for today. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

God Hears

Today one thought is most prevalent as I write and pray. Thank You. Okay, so that is two words. Maybe thankfulness will cover it. There are so many challenges in life, but God knows that. He delivers us out of them all. We need to trust in His goodness, that He is our loving Father. And when we forget that, we can still ask Him to forgive us and deliver us, and He will do that, because He is our Dad. The psalmist wrote about this.

Psalms 106:44 Yet he took note of their distress
when he heard their cry;
45 for their sake he remembered his covenant
and out of his great love he relented.
46 He caused all who held them captive
to show them mercy.
47 Save us, Lord our God,
and gather us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.

At the beginning of this psalm the writer is praising God for His deliverance. He then tells the story of how the children of Israel would forget that God was good, and that was why they perished in the wilderness. He also says we are the same. It is sad that we struggle trusting that God will deliver us. However, He always does.

Today, I am very thankful for that.

Prayer
Father, we thank You and praise You as the Most High. Please forgive us when we have doubts. Help our unbelief. Deliver us from the evil that is around us, into Your light and rest. Please send us Your healing, deliverance, and provision today. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Be The Battle

This morning I had quite a drive through a snow storm. It gave me time to think about the many ways we can become involved in spiritual warfare. One way that came to me that was quite different from anything I had considered before. Our existence is itself the evidence of not only the battle but that God has already won, which has to be tough on the enemy. Here is what I mean.

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Here God created us in His image and likeness. Then He gave us dominion over everything on the earth and the earth. So first, every time the enemy looks at us, he sees something that looks like God. Then, he also sees that we have the power over this planet and everything in it. Another reminder. What are his choices? He has to try to deceive and persuade us to follow his ways instead of God. The goal is to get us to look like the enemy instead of looking like God.

So you want to fight the spiritual battle and win? Just show up. You look like God, and when you try to walk in God’s ways, you act like God. Game over, and the enemy loses!

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You! You alone are King. We long to serve You and walk in Your image and likeness. Please help us find Your way. Please send today our deliverance, our healing, and our provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Step By Step

Today as I was looking into the wintery clad forest outside my window, I was thinking about the process we go through as we build each other up and as God builds us up. Building requires a sturdy foundation and the willingness to lay one stone upon another, one timber upon another, until the work is done. It is a steady and long process if the building is to be of any size and to endure the elements. We see this same building process over and over again in the scriptures.

Psalms 104:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
4 Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
6 Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.

In the beginning of Psalms 104 the psalmist is praising God. Ultimately he gets to describing how God uses the water, and sets its bounds. Almost the entire rest of this Psalm refers to the impact of this control over the water. This is something I had not seen until this morning. However, the psalmist is revealing the building process. He is showing how there is a steady progression of life, all based upon God controlling the water. In the end, he praises God for the victory that comes as a result. This is one more example of how when we praise God we are actually declaring that He was the One that created everything, and everything belongs to God!

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. You alone are our King. Thank You for the victory You have for us in life that comes from You as the Creator of all life and the universe. Please release today the healing, the deliverance, and the provisions Your people need, in a mighty way. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Overcoming Fear

There are many things that can cause us to become afraid. For some it is sickness, or animals, or insects. For me I am most impacted when one of my loved ones is not doing well. Yesterday my wife became very ill. She was up most of the night, getting up every two hours to become sick. Hearing her crying out from the pain caused me to become a little afraid. But at the same time, I knew God would ultimately win out for us. This was a bit new for me. In the past when I would become fearful, I could not see the end of the fear. Somehow this was different.

Luke 12:25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?

Jesus was talking about food and clothing directly, but I think it has a broader application. For me, it also means that we have one source for all our needs. For my wife it is healing. Perhaps the difference is over the last two years God has given us opportunity to learn a great deal from Him. I just do not believe, no matter what happens, that God does not really love us. He is on our side.

Today, if you or your family are facing something pretty challenging, don’t be afraid. Call out to God and remember, He is on your side.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Most High King. Please forgive those things that we do wrong. We ask today for Your healing power in our lives. WE ask today that You send Your deliverance. We ask today that You send Your mighty provision, like the rain of manna and fowl from the heavens, that all men might know that You alone are God. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Expectations

Growing up I remember my parents telling me not to take anything for granted. We were poor so they were usually talking about food and clothes. Today, I see that say statement as a good reminder for me about God. It is easy for me to miss things when times are good. There are times when I start this daily writing and then forget about it until – well for a while. This morning that has reminded me of a scripture.

Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Until this morning I always thought of this scripture as being something that referred to giving up when times are tough. This morning I see that it can also apply to taking things for granted. That is not who I want to be.

Let’s pray for one another that whether good or bad that we all will faint not.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Most High. We ask that You strengthen us that we will not faint, whether from good times or bad. Please send us Your healing today Father. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Remembering

The sabbath is a good day for remembering. God created it for us to rest, and that is good. Perhaps a part of that rest is meant to be in reflection on who we are honestly, as well as directly with God. Growing up somehow I managed to end up with low self esteem. For those who understand this position or may have felt it, you can understand what I am saying here. It caused me for many years to approach God with shame and a sense of unworthiness. I am not saying that on our own we are worthy, but at some point in our relationship with God we have to rightly understand that once we take on the forgiveness of sin in our new life through the Messiah, God does not see us that way. As a loving Father all He sees is Jesus. So how should we honestly reflect on who we are in God. There are many scriptures that speak to this, but I found one in particular to share.

Psalms 119:TAU.
169 Let my cry come near before thee, O Lord: give me understanding according to thy word.
170 Let my supplication come before thee: deliver me according to thy word.
171 My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes.
172 My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.
173 Let thine hand help me; for I have chosen thy precepts.
174 I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord; and thy law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgments help me.
176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.

Psalms 119 is very long, and there is much said and implied. These are the ending verses. Over and over again the psalmist cries out to God and acknowledging God for who He is and how much we need Him. The very last verse sums up what I am trying to say. Although the psalmist has remembered the commandments, he also acknowledges that he has made mistakes. We will not be perfect while here on the earth, but we can remember God and His commandments and do our best to follow His ways. When we fall short, we just need to cry out to our Father for help. He is always there to help, to pick us up and dust us off, and to cheer us on!

Prayer
Father, we praise You as the Most High. Thank You for the sabbath when we can spend time with You. Thank You for the sabbath when we can reflect on our lives and how we might do better. Thank You for making up the difference. We ask that You give to us Your healing, deliverance, and Your provision today. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Patterns For Life

For some time now as I have been reading the scriptures I have noticed what appears to be patterns embedded in various places, both the Old and New Testaments. These patterns seem to present to us as believers thoughts, actions, and speaking that when repeated produce specific results, either good or bad. The outcomes are good when the patterns are God’s ways, and bad when they are not (the ways of man and/or evil). On the surface this may seem either “common sense” or simplistic, but to me it is neither. It is possible it is one of the fundamental messages that God is trying to communicate to us, and through us to the world; perhaps a primary purpose to life. I found yet another example in the psalms this morning that I had passed by in previous readings.

Psalms 119:ZAIN.
49 Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.
50 This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.
51 The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law.
52 I remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord; and have comforted myself.
53 Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law.
54 Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.
55 I have remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, and have kept thy law.
56 This I had, because I kept thy precepts.

Here the psalmist is saying that God’s word to him was his source for hope. God’s statutes have become his songs. Interestingly he says that in the night, when there can be darkness and fear, he remembered God’s name (which also refers to God’s position) resulting in him keeping God’s law. But the part I had not seen before is in verse 56. These things in the previous verses – hope, comfort, the ability to fight off the darkness – all were in the psalmists possession because he kept God’s precepts, God’s patterns for life. It seems that the keeping of these patterns perpetuates them in our lives, which would include all of the many blessings of healing, deliverance, and provision.

God’s way is a way of repetitive patterns based on His statutes. Want a different, better life? Find the patterns, and repeat them!

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You today as our King. Today we have for You nothing to give but our lives. It is small compared to what You have given and do give every day. Please forgive us when we fail to keep Your ways, and help us to get back to them. Please send us today healing, deliverance, and provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

When God Moves

Perhaps you have experienced one of those moments when something has happened in your life that you were hoping for and it came in a way and time that made you take a deep breath, look up, and say “Thanks!” to God. We have all had these moments, I believe. A friend of mine told me that recently he was in tough financial shape, but somehow kept praying, knowing that God was going to deliver him and his family. Suddenly, almost every avenue of provision he had prayed for came to pass in a period of less than two weeks, plus one he had not even considered. He said it made him feel very humbled, and thankful that God would do such a thing for him and his family. As I though about that today it reminded me of some scriptures.

Psalms 114:1 When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language;
2 Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.
3 The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.
5 What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?
6 Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;
8Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.

Here we see the psalmist extolling the works of God, saying that even the mountains and the seas jump in God’s presence and at His command.

Psalms 96:6 Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.
8 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.
9 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.
12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice

Here we see the psalmist telling us and all creation to come before God and offer thanks and praise. In reality, I think if we will allow ourselves to believe and trust in God, and we give Him thanks and praise, we will see these times of mighty deliverance more often. They will become our way of life, and not something that we rarely see.

To God be the glory forever and ever!

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. Thank You for all You do. Thank You for all the blessings You bring into our lives. Thank You for reaching out to us and guiding our ways. Thank You for bringing to us deliverance, healing, and provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.