He Means It!

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41.10

Some interesting truths in this verse. There are two things for us: (1) fear thou not, (2) be not dismayed. There are five things that God promised us: (1) I am with thee, (2) I am thy God, (3) I will strengthen thee, (4) I will help thee, and (5) I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

It is significant that tells us not to fear. As I have mentioned before, God is the only one who can tell us with confidence that we need not be afraid. Rather than allowing fear to control us, we need to we need to give our fear to God and allow Him to control us. Then God tells us to not be dismayed. (Do not be distressed.) Again, this is something that God alone has the authority to tell us. Whatever may be causing us distress, God is able to handle all of that FOR US.

Then look at the promises God makes to us: He promises to ALWAYS be with us. He is the only God we will ever need. When we are in need of strength to deal with something, He WILL give us that strength. We cannot get that strength from any other source. He promises to be the helper that we need. We don’t need to turn to any other source for help because HE is our helper. Read this last phrase carefully: “I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Can you visualize the idea of God UPHOLDING you? What a powerful picture for us to remember. Let’s dwell on these great truths today. Just my thoughts …

Fear? What Fear?

“What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” Psalm 56.3

Fear is such a controlling element in our lives when we are experiencing it. When you think about it, the only one who has the power and authority to tell us not to be afraid is God. As a shepherd, David knew on more than one occasion what it was like to be afraid. There are many occasions recorded in scripture that give us indication of times when David may have been afraid. And yet this declaration here is an indication of his faith that was stronger than his fear. He does not say, “If I am afraid …” but rather, “What time I am afraid … ” He knew those times would come. You and I do well to remember that there will be times in our lives when we will be afraid. For each one of us the circumstance will be different, but the controlling element of fear will be present until we can say with David, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.”

Let’s address the matter of trust. Trust is something that we must learn to exercise. It is like a muscle. The more we use it, the stronger it becomes. If anyone has ever betrayed our trust, it is difficult to trust anyone after that experience. But here is a great truth. Our great God has NEVER betrayed our trust. He has been faithful on occasion that we have needed to trust Him. We MAY have needed to trust Him on other occasions but were not sure we could. But let me assure you that you can speak with the same confidence that David spoke with here: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” God did NOT fail David and He will not fail you. Just my thoughts …

Go Ahead – Give It To Him!

“Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.” Proverbs 16.3

Another translation reads: “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” I don’t know what time of the day you are reading this, but here is a vital question: “How much of the day have you already wasted?” You say, “Preacher, that’s not fair.” How MUCH of this day did you commit to the Lord, before it even started? Or did you just jump out of bed and begin to attack YOUR to do list, and God was never consulted? “But I’ve got stuff I need to do. You don’t understand.” You don’t have to convince me of anything. It is the God of heaven and earth that you need to consider. He has a claim on your life everyday – whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.

What does it look like to “Commit your work to the Lord …”?  It calls on us to do what Paul suggested in 1 Thessalonians 5.17: “Pray without ceasing … ” When I take the time to seek God’s face regarding my day, I can feel confident that I am doing the things that will glorify Him and not just make me feel good. Hear this: I only want to feel good when I have done what God wants and He makes me feel good.

“your plans will be established.” I WANT God to establish my plans. When I establish them, I have a tendency to mess them up. That may be your problem as well. I want God’s plans to be my plans, not try to make my plans God’s plans. This is a relatively simple process but one that you and I need to address EVERY DAY. May the Holy Spirit help us to commit our work to the Lord. Just my thoughts …

Tell Me How You REALLY FEEL!

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” Deuteronomy 6.5

Have you ever read something or heard someone say something and thought to yourself, “Why don’t you tell me how you really feel!”? That’s what I think when I read this verse. But then I remember that Moses is writing under the power of the Holy Spirit and then I realize the importance of what he is saying.

So, what IS Moses saying to Israel and to us here? This first phrase is not new to us. We KNOW we have the responsibility to love God. But it is these next words that describe the intensity of that love. “ … thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart … ” What is the significance of the heart here? That is the seat of our emotions. When people are dating, they say to each other, “I love you with all my heart.” We know that’s not the blood pump but the part of us that expresses our deepest emotions. So, Moses tells us to start there – with our deepest emotions. There ought not be anyone else in our emotional bank whom we love more than God.

Then we read, “thou shalt love the Lord thy God with … all with all thy soul … ” Our soul is that part of us that connects with God in the spiritual dimension. There ought not be any one or any thing in our spiritual bank that we love more than we love God. You might be thinking, “I would never consciously do anything like that.” While we may never make that conscious choice, we might make it unconsciously by our actions and our attitudes.

Finally, Moses tells us, “thou shalt love the Lord thy … with all thy might.” What is he saying here? We must love the Lord our God with EVERY FIBER of our being. Let there be no doubt in the mind of anyone watching us that we love God WITH ALL OUR MIGHT! Let’s demonstrate these truths today. Just my thoughts …

Victim or Overcomer?

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16.33

Notice these important truths in this verse: (1) Jesus is speaking to us. (2) He wants us to have peace. (3) We will have tribulation as long as we are in this world. (4) We have reason to be cheerful, He has overcome the world.

In light of the fact of Who is speaking, we need to listen carefully: “These things I have spoken unto you … ” He said these words two other times in this chapter. He is telling them things they need to hear, but are struggling to understand. He has promised them the Holy Spirit as their comforter. But He closes the chapter with these words: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.” IN THE MIDST of all their trials and tribulations, He wants them to have peace. IN THE MIDST of all OUR trials and tribulations, He want US to have peace. Peace is NOT the absence of trouble. Peace is the assurance of His presence with us in the midst of our trouble. That should evoke a shout from even the mildest of us. Praise His Holy Name!

Then He reminds them of something they may not want to hear, but need to know: “In the world ye shall have tribulation … ” No one WANTS to have tribulation. But all of us know that if we live long enough, we WILL have tribulation. Just living in this sinful world, and having a longing for heaven, Satan is going to see to it what we have tribulation. But Jesus has a word for that too: “ … but be of good cheer … ” He says, “I know what you are going through, but be of good cheer. I’ve got this!” and then He caps it off with this: “I have overcome the world.” You and I cannot do that by ourselves. The world system is greater than we are. But it is not greater than our God. He has “overcome the world” for me. I can and must rejoice in that truth. Just my thoughts …

Be Whaat?

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46.10

God is speaking to us in this verse. Notice the different things He tells us: (1) Be still, (2) know that I am God, (3) I will be exalted among the heathen, and (4) I will be exalted in the earth. It isn’t that we don’t know any of these things. But we do need to be reminded of these things. So, let’s examine them.

“Be still … ” Do you know how hard that is in today’s world? Everything around is moving at breakneck speed. And we are expected to do the same. But God says, “Be still … ” It is difficult for us to take time to really contemplate on anything or anyone, let alone God. But when we are able to take some time to be still, what do we discover about God? Are we moved by His immensity? Are we overwhelmed by His omnipotence? Are we awed by His omnipotence? Are we completely astonished over His justice and righteousness? We should be.

But then He says, “know that I am God … ” I don’t believe He is saying for us to simply acknowledge that He is God. I believe He is asking us to acknowledge that He IS God – really God … not some mystical power in the heavens or some unknown deity that may or may not care about us. “ … know that I am God … ” I care about you. I love you. I want the best for you. I AM your God.

I believe these last two phrases go together: “ … I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Once the heathen know WHO God is, they will exalt Him. But, as I have stated before, we have the responsibility to evangelize this world. Then, God “will be exalted in the earth.” I’d say we have a big job before us. Let’s be about our global task. Just my thoughts …

Whosoever Shall Call …

“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Acts 2.21

There is a degree of certainty here worth noting: “ … it shall come to pass … ” IT is not a matter of whether or not something will happen … it shall come to pass. But here is the catch. People cannot act on information they do not possess. If one does not KNOW to call upon the name of the Lord, he/she will never do it. I think that we as Christ followers sometimes think that the whole world knows that God has a son named Jesus and that He died to save them from their sins. But that is a false assumption. There are some people who were born and raised in America who do not know this. Have you ever thought about how many people do not go to church … have never gone to church? Don’t assume that because the gospel is preached on radio and tv that everyone has heard it.

Now, here is the important part: “ … whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” That is a powerful promise. It is possible for someone to KNOW that God has a son named Jesus and that He died on the cross for the sins of the world, but they have never made a personal application of that truth to their lives. I have presented the gospel to a number of people over the course of my ministry and I have found that I must conclude the conversation with something like this: “Do you believe that Jesus died to pay for YOUR sins? If so, would you like to receive Him as your Savior now?” Let’s assume no one has heard and everyone needs to know. That way we won’t miss anyone! Just my thoughts …

Jesus or Nothing!

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4.12

I think if I were to go out on the street and ask 100 different people how to get to heaven, I might get 90 different answers. My wife and I own a home and we get many people who knock on our door, wanting to come into our house. Since we own the home, we get to decide who is allowed to enter. By the same line of reasoning, God OWNS heaven and He gets to set the parameters for how one gets to enter heaven.

Over the many years that I have been in ministry, I have been amazed at some of the many ways people think they qualify to go to heaven when they die. If going to heaven was based on merit, I know lot of people who have done a lot of GOOD THINGS that would qualify them to go to heaven. But unfortunately, going to heaven is NOT based on merit – what one does while living down here on earth.

So, what does God tell us is His requirement? “Neither is there salvation in any other … ” The reference here is to His Son, Jess Christ. Peter is testifying before the Jewish high priest and some of the scribes and elders. They have asked him about the man who was healed. Part of Peter’s answer is found in the verse above. Of all the religious leaders who have lived and sought to establish some sort of religious following, every one of them has died and is STILL in the grave, except Jesus. So, Peter’s conclusion is this: “ … there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Think what you will. Believe what you will. God the Father has said, “It’s Jesus or nothing!” Pretty conclusive. Just my thoughts …

Wisdom & Understanding!

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” Proverbs 9.10

If you are like me, you want to have as much wisdom as possible. I define wisdom as the proper application of knowledge. There are many people who have an abundance of knowledge but they don’t seem to know what to do with it. That is knowledge without wisdom. Solomon puts things into perspective for us here with this first phrase: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom … ” The fear of the Lord isn’t everything, but it is the starting point. So, let’s try to get some understanding of what it means to fear the Lord. It DOESN’T mean that I am fearful that if I cross over some unseen line, the Lord will zap me with a bold of lightening. It DOES mean that I have some understanding of the majesty and greatness of God and that knowledge gives me a better understanding of how to live for God each day. If my wisdom is filtered through my knowledge of God, that will certainly affect my choices, decisions, actions, and every element of my life. So, that is the starting place.

Now, to Solomon’s second point: “ … the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” This goes hand-in-hand with the first phrase. My KNOWLEDGE of the Holy One certainly increases my UNDERSTANDING of this Holy One. So, how do I gain this knowledge? I believe it is found primarily in the Word of the Holy One. The more I read about Him, the more I see how He interacts with His children, to more I grasp the significance of prayer, and the more I begin to implement what I know into my life, the greater my understanding will be. So, grasping what this verse means will certainly enhance my wisdom and my understanding and that is a win-win. Just my thoughts …

No Condemnation! Wow!

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8.1

Think for a moment about a serial killer that you can remember. Now imagine for a moment that he walks into a courtroom and when all the evidence is presented, the judge says, “No condemnation.” Wow. Is he guilty? Absolutely! But for some reason the judge has just pronounced him not guilty – not condemned. Almost unbelievable isn’t it.

Here is a greater mystery. Satan stands before God and accuses me of being a gross sinner. Surely God can’t love me. But God’s response to him is one he never expected: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus … ” God says, “Do you see my son, Jerry? He is in Christ Jesus. He has received my Son’s payment for his sin. He is NOT condemned.” I’m not sure we grasp the magnitude of that statement. Are we guilty? Yes, we are! Are we condemned for our guilt? We are not! WHY are we not condemned? Because Jesus PAID the price for our sin so we can stand NOT CONDEMNED! Bless His holy name.

Paul continues with an important phrase: “ … who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” God’s desire for us after we are saved is that we walk after the Spirit, not after the flesh. But the choice of how we walk is up to us. So, let me challenge you, along with myself, to choose to walk after the Spirit. That will please God and bring glory to God and that is my singular purpose in life. Just my thoughts …