"But God who is rich in mercy..."

“But God who is rich in mercy, because of the His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)…” (Ephesians 2:4-5 NKJV)

    This is the passage that sparked the entire study! What a life-changing statement this is!! It has not only changed my life, but your life as well, and the life of each and every one who believes!

    We grew up and became accountable before God. Even for those of us who were “raised in the church”, there was no bubble wrap for us in regard to sin; “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We all at some point followed after temptation and sinned (Ephesians 2:2-3), we may have even made a habit out of it, but when we sinned, we died, spiritually.

    BUT GOD, RICH in mercy - absolutely abounding in lovingkindness (Psalm 103:8-18) – because of His GREAT love for us, gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16)!

    God gave us hope – He granted us life again – He gave us opportunity to be revived and walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). God, by His grace, gifted us with new life in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9)!

    Because of God’s rich mercy and great love in sending His Son to die for us, we, although lost in darkness, were able to seek God and find Him (Acts 17:27). We could listen to His word and believe it (Romans 10:17, Hebrews 11:6). When we realized our state – our deadness in sin – we could run to God for help, for hope (Acts 2:37) and find both in abundance!

“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38 NKJV)

    As a child of God (Romans 8:12-17), made alive by grace (Ephesians 2:1-10), belonging to the body of Christ through baptism (1 Corinthians 12:12-13), we have help, and we have hope not only in this life but in the one beyond as well!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5 NKJV)   

    Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15)!

    If you have not yet been revived to spiritual life with God through Jesus, if you have not yet been baptized for the remission of your sins, let today be the day! Let this be the day you begin to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4-13)!!

Let today be the day!!  

"But God is faithful..."

“No temptation has overtaken you except that which is common to man. But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV)

    Everyone can and will be tempted but not always in the same way. What tempts me, may not tempt you; what tempts you, may not tempt me, but we are all vulnerable to temptation. From the garden in Eden and on through time, the devil has been sharpening his tools with which he tries to distract us away from God; he has only three and that has proved enough: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (James 2:16). The devil plied these tools on Eve in the garden (Genesis 3), on Job in the land of Uz (Job 1-2), on Jesus, the very Son of God, in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11), and on every person in between and since!

    But God is faithful.

    The devil may think his experience in the field has gained him the upper hand BUT GOD has always had the highest hand and sets boundaries on Satan (consider Job 1:6-12 and 2:1-7) – God will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able! The devil has a limit, and believe me, he will take advantage of everything within that limit to turn your attention from God, making it very difficult to resist.  

    But God is faithful.

    God makes the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it – “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations…” (2 Peter 2:9) – we CAN endure, we CAN resist, we CAN overcome – because GOD IS FAITHFUL!

    God is worthy of our trust. He will not fail us. What He has promised He will fulfill (Joshua 23:14, Hebrews 10:23)! The devil with his limited power will try to overtake us but God provides the way of escape so that we are not overcome!

    Keep your focus on Him! Walk carefully and with wisdom (Ephesians 5:15-17, James 1:5) because temptations abound but God is faithful! Let’s remain faithful and loyal to Him, by looking for and taking the way of escape He makes, and continually praising Him for His faithfulness!!

You can do it, so can I – because God is faithful!!    

"But God Knows Your Hearts"

“And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”” (Luke 16:15 NKJV)

    In this passage Jesus was rebuking the Pharisees (religious leaders/teachers) because they loved receiving money and likely sought out ways to gain more of it (see earlier verses, 1-13, in Luke 16). The focus of their hearts had shifted from religion to monetary gain and with that came the temptation to “tweak” the law – a little adjustment here, a wee modification there – to appease people who were willing to pay for a blind eye being turned on their sinful situation.

    The religious world is full of adaptations, modifications, as well as complete disregard of God’s Truth in an effort to appease sinful people who don’t like God’s boundaries and moral rules. How has this come to be? The desire for popularity (“anything to keep ‘em coming through the doors each week”) and for monetary gain (“We need to keep their money in the coffers”) has most likely led the way.  

    These erring religious leaders seek to justify themselves rather than change their focus back to God. Consider televangelist Kenneth Copeland who, back in late 2015, said he needed a luxury private jet to do his job because ‘you can’t “talk to God” while flying commercial.’ Or just a year or so ago, another televangelist, Jesse Duplantis, who tried to justify his need for a fourth private jet, this one with a price tag of $54 million, by stating he needed this addition to his aircraft fleet “to help him efficiently spread the gospel to as many people as possible.”

    We, especially when we know we are wrong but don’t want to change, can and will try most anything to justify ourselves – “I couldn’t help myself”, “I can’t imagine life without it”, “It will help me do ________ better”, “Things happen for a reason, if God didn’t want me to have ________ than He wouldn’t have given it to me.” etc., etc. – especially when we have gained something pleasing to us in the process.

“But God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”    

    Ponder now, if you will, Proverbs 6:16-19, and the seven things that the Lord hates and considers an abomination:

• A proud look
• A lying tongue
• Hands that shed innocent blood
• A heart that devises wicked plans
• Feet that are swift in running to evil
• A false witness who speaks lies
• One who sows discord among brethren

    Unfortunately, many Pharisees in Jesus’ time would come to be guilty of each of these. The steps leading to this may have felt seemingly innocent to them at first – “a little extra money won’t hurt anyone” – but the main problem was that their shift in focus caused them to look to money and away from God, because you cannot serve both (Luke 16:13).

    Let’s not try to justify ourselves in any of our wants and “needs” – we may fool our friends and even ourselves – but God knows our hearts! Let’s learn to be content with what we have, with what God daily provides (Mathew 6:25-34)! Let us, with grateful hearts, thank Him for our daily bread (Matthew 6:9-13, Ephesians 5:20, 1 Timothy 4:4-5) and appreciate the living bread  - His Word - with which our souls can be nourished with all that is good and truly proper in His sight (Matthew 5:6, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Romans 12:1-2) and let God and His truth be our only focus as we humbly walk the narrow way that leads home (Matthew 7:13-14)!

You can do it! So can I!!

   

"But God Has Chosen the Foolish Things..." (Part 2)

“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty…” (1 Corinthians 1:27 NKJV)

    God chose lowly things, “foolish” things so that anyone who believes can be saved. To those of us who do believ,e we see the power and wisdom of God, but to all others, particularly those “who are perishing”, those who mock God and the very idea of God, it is only “foolishness.”

    The message of the cross, the simple way in which Jesus came and conducted Himself (even sacrificing Himself), was contrary to the expectations of the Jews who were looking for a great and powerful Saviour Messiah, so they rejected Jesus and in so doing rejected their hope of salvation (Acts 13:46). The Gentiles on the other hand sought after astonishing wisdom, thoughts that would confound the common people and ideas that would give the great philosophers of the day much to discuss and consider, but Jesus came with simple “stories” about seed sowers and farmers, women who swept their houses, and people who bought small plots of land – to them His teaching was “foolishness”, mere stories to amuse children (1 Corinthians 1:21-23). 

    Let’s not fall prey to that type of thinking. God’s word is not out of reach. Jesus’ humble nature welcomes us all to come near and approach God, the Father, through Him (John 14:6). God has always chosen the simple things He has made and provided to all, so that no one is hindered from seeking and finding Him (Acts 17:26-27).

Consider these “lowly” things in our worship:

• ·       Simple, quiet, respectful gatherings where “all things done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40) so that we may worship God in “spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). There are no complicated rituals, nor pompous ceremonial processions, but only common men leading our thoughts as we observe the Lord’s Supper, leading us as we sing together, and teaching and preaching a Bible lesson for our benefit, so that our attention is focused on honouring God, not man.
• ·       No ornate clothing worn by the men leading, no robes or cassocks, no special vestments of any sort, simply respectful clothing (even we in attendance are given instruction to keep our clothing simple, see 1 Timothy 2:9-10, 1 Peter 3:3-4).  Again, so our focus stays on God and not on people.
• ·        No foreign languages, no Latin, but only what is understandable to the congregation (1 Corinthians 14:10-17). Lessons simply from God’s word, the Bible, from which every man may be made “complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). So that no one elevates himself above the congregation because of his learning or ability, but that God and His word are elevated and held in high esteem.
• ·       No musicians or choir members atop a stage. No man-made instruments required for worship, only what God made, common to all people: our hearts, our spirit, and our voices, as we join together in song “singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). Our attention is to be on God, not on a singer or a musician. We are not at a concert to be entertained, we are to humbly gather together before God, approach His throne, and exalt Him with our praise and attention (Philippians 2:1-11).
• ·       No names that raise people above others. No titles like “father”, “reverend”, or “pope” – these are all man-made titles that were made to encourage respect and reverence, but God is to have the respect and reverence, not men. Jesus, Himself, commanded, “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven” (Matthew 23:9). We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, all children of God (Romans 8:15-17, 1 John 3:1-3), and that, I think, is honour enough!
• ·      Unleavened bread and fruit of the vine. Simple, basic elements: flour, water, juice from grapes – all made and provided by God Himself. We know the fruit of the vine was not wine (something invented by man), because there was no leavening to be in the house during the observation of the Passover (Exodus 12:12-15), nothing fermented, only fresh, unleavened ingredients just as God provided them. Why did God choose these simple elements for the Lord’s Supper? So that when we partake of it each week our focus is on Jesus and not on a meal (1 Corinthians 11:22) or highfalutin man-made drink.

·             God chose basic men, not scholars who went to seminaries to learn how to preach, but “uneducated and untrained” fishermen (Acts 4:13) and a tentmaker “untrained in speech” (2 Corinthians 11:6) to preach and teach the gospel message to both Jews and Gentiles (Mark 16:15-16, Acts 26:15-18). Today is no different. The men who preach are just like the rest of the brethren except that they have chosen to spend their lives studying God’s word, and preaching/teaching the gospel. They should be encouraged in their pursuit as they encourage us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18)! They do not teach their own ideas and imaginings, they speak only what God has provided through His holy and divine word (1 Peter 4:11, Galatians 1:8-10)!

    God chose the simple things so that all could hear, believe, and obey. God chose the things He made, the things He provided to mankind so that man could not puff himself up and say “Look what I did!” or “Look what I can do!” God simply asks us to come together to think on all that He did and praise Him for all that He continues to do!

    We don’t need to have an expensive education to understand the gospel, only sincere love for God and His word. We don’t need to be wealthy to worship Him, we don’t need to have a musical skill or even ability to sing in tune, we only need our God-made heart and soul, bound together in sincere belief and humble obedience, to join with others in praise and worship of our hallowed Father in heaven!

    God chose the lowly things. God chose us. Let us worship Him and reverence Him as He desires, using only the things He has given us to honour and reverence Him for all He has given us!!

You can do it! So can I!! 

"But God Has Chosen the Foolish Things..." (Part 1)

“For you see your calling brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the mighty…” (1 Corinthians 1:26-27 NKJV)

    I love these verses because it states that all can find/access God. We don’t have to worry about whether we were born with great knowledge and wisdom, or had wealth with which we could readily attain these through higher education. We needn’t concern ourselves with class or caste systems where birth locks us into a societal category of standing. We don’t have to work ourselves to death in the gym to gain might and strength. No, because God chose simple things so that we would glory in Him – His wisdom, His majesty, His power and might – and not glory in ourselves.

“Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, not let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness in the earth. For in these I delight,“ says the LORD.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24 NKJV)    

    God made mankind so that we might seek Him and find Him (Acts 17:26-27). He calls us through the gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14) out of the darkness of sin and into His marvelous light (Acts 26:17-18, 1 Peter 2:9). The gospel was preached by simple men: fishermen, tentmakers, tax collectors. It was recorded and preserved on papyrus and it is now in something completely common, accessible, and simple: a book – the Bible – most every household may already have one. Side Note: Consider that the New King James Bible is written at about a Grade 7 reading level, making it accessible for reading and comprehension for most everyone aged 12 years and older.

    Our responsibility is simply to submit to His Word and way. To read/listen/hear the gospel message (Romans 10:17), to believe it, and to humbly obey God’s instructions (Mark 16:15-16, Acts 2:38, James 1:25) all the days of our life (Matthew 10:22, Revelation 2:10)!

    If the Lord wills, next week we will look closer at the “lowly” things God has chosen and how through them He has provided us all access to hope through Jesus, His Son!!

 

"But God Demonstrates His Love Toward Us..."

“For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 NKJV)

    Consider for a moment: Who would you be willing to die for? Your spouse? Your children? A sibling? Maybe even a dear friend and sister in Christ? …Now, how about that drunk guy who hit your car? How about a woman who cheated on her husband and abandoned her kids? How about Jeffrey Epstein or Paul Bernardo? That changes things, doesn’t it?

    People would be quick to label the act of giving up one’s life in order to preserve the life of a good and righteous person as something ‘noble’ and ‘noteworthy’, but God did something more – something much more noble, much more noteworthy – He provided us with a Saviour and a sacrifice when we were still sinners, when we were still in the same category as that drunk guy, the adulteress fornicator, as Epstein and Bernardo – that is how much God loves us!! – He provided Light to us so that we could escape the darkness of sin (John 8:12, 12:35-36, 46)!!

    God gave His only begotten Son to give us opportunity to have everlasting life and not perish in our sins (John 3:16). His desire is for all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4), not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9) – God loves us all that much!!

    The truth of God’s immense and all-encompassing love is clearly shown to us in the very giving of His Son, and Jesus’ love for His Father and for us is made known in His willingness to sacrifice Himself for us (John 15:9-14)!! God wants us to comprehend His love (Ephesians 3:14-19) so that we will appreciate His abundant gift of Light and life and not ever desire to go back into the darkness (Hebrews 10:35-39, 2 Peter 2:20, Luke 17:32)!

    God loved us that much!! God continues to love us that much!!

    So, let’s determine to live a life worthy of His love by humbly seeking Him, studying His word to increase our knowledge of the truth and do all we can to reflect His marvelous light into the world around us so that others may also come to repentance!!

You can do it! So can I!!

"But God..." - How God Turned Our Lives from Hopeless to Hopeful!

    If the Lord wills, I would like to take a few weeks to look at the amazingly wonderful, hope-stirring bible verses that express how God, because of His great love for us, gave us a Saviour and changed human life forever!!

    Through Jesus our lives can be changed from death to life, from bondage to freedom, from darkness to light, from hopeless to hope-filled and glorious!!

    I hope you will join me as we look at the verses that give us all the more reason to be joyful and full of thanksgiving for our great and loving Father!

    Let's begin!

“And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death. Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead.” (Acts 13:28-30 NKJV)

    “But God raised Him from the dead.”

    That one sentence, that one solitary statement, changed everything for us! That one declaration of fact is the ultimate proof that Jesus was indeed the Son of God because – God raised Him from the dead!

     When God raised Jesus from the dead:

• Jesus was proved to be His Son (Acts 2:32-33, Romans 1:4)!
• Jesus became the firstborn from the dead, never to die again (Colossians 1:18, Acts 13:34-35, Revelation 1:18)
• Jesus’ words, everything He had spoken, were proved true (Luke 9:22, 24:46-47)
• The prophets were proved true (Acts 2:16-32; 13:32-34)
• Jesus became our Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5-6), our Advocate (1 John 2:1), and our eternal High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16), who makes intercession for us (Romans 8:34)!
• We are justified (brought back into favour with God) and have access to forgiveness of our sins (Acts 10:40-43, Romans 4:25; 8:31-33, Ephesians 1:7, 1 John 1:9-2:2)!
• He proved He has power to raise us up too (1 Corinthians 6:14, 2 Corinthians 4:14, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)!

    Consider this beautiful passage:

 “…if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:14-20 NKJV)

    When God raised Jesus from the dead He changed our lives forever! We can have confident faith in every word, command, and instruction spoken by Jesus. We now can have access to God, access to His help (Hebrews 4:16) His forgiveness (1 John 1:9), His comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) and His peace (Philippians 4:6-7). Because God raised Jesus from the dead, we can believe it, and have faith to obey Jesus’ commands and have hope to be raised in the final Day to life eternal (John 5:25, 28-29, Romans 10:9-13, Ephesians 1:17-23, 1 Peter 1:20-21)!!

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15 NKJV)

The Blessings Found in Fearing the Lord

“The LORD is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works. The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will hear their cry and save them.” (Psalm 145:17-19 NKJV)

     In fearing the Lord – reverencing Him as Almighty and fearfully respecting Him by obeying His commands – we can attain true knowledge, true wisdom, and spiritual understanding that shows us the path to Life. On that path we will find freedoms (Galatians 5:22-23, “against such there is no law”) as well as boundaries, both of these God has lovingly provided so that we can do good works and avoid the snares of the devil.  When we respect God as Creator and Sustainer of all, put our trust in Him, and begin to rely wholly on Him, we will discover the wonderful refuge that is our God, a shelter in the time of storm and the only place where all help and blessings are found! 

     God desires that you fear Him, fully understanding who He is and who you are before Him. He created mankind to seek Him and find Him (Acts 17:26-17). He preserved His word over all these centuries so that you could read/hear His Truth. Please fear God enough that you seek out HIS word, HIS truth, stop allowing yourself to be satisfied with man’s interpretation of His word (Matthew 15:9, 2 Timothy 4:3-4)! If your church adds anything to, or takes anything away from, God’s word, it is no longer God’s word – and that is a dangerous position to side with (Revelation 22:18-19) – respect God enough to find a church that teaches and adheres to His pure truth! There you will find people who take refuge in God and declare thanksgiving to Him during troubles and in times of joy, fully appreciating His loving care in their lives each day!! Those who fear God will be nourished and strengthened by His word (John 15:4-5, 1 Peter 2:2), they will be abundantly satisfied with His blessings of every good thing (Colossians 2:3, Ephesians 1:3-14, Psalm 68:19)! It is worth every effort and every sacrifice!

"Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.” (Psalm 34:9-10 NKJV)  

 

You can do it! So can I!! 

From wherever you are right now – BEGIN!  

The LORD Takes Pleasure In Those Who Fear Him

“He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of man. The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy.” (Psalm 147:10-11 NKJV)

The Lord takes pleasure in those who are willing, even in their strength of mind and body, to humble themselves and bend their knee to His majesty; those who, even though blessed with great physical ability, understand who God is and who they are before Him, choosing reverence over revolt.

“No king is saved by the multitude of an army; a mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.” (Psalm 33:16-19 NKJV)

We build our lives in such a way so as not to worry. “As long as I have ______, I’ll be okay.” We tell ourselves this, filling in the blank with “family”, “friends”, “money”, “health”, “control”, etc. Great empires rise and fall, mighty men can be weak, even strong horses have limited ability and soon grow tired, none of these can deliver a soul from death, none can cause food to grow in famine. But God can.

If we live humbly and reverently before God, making use of the “today” He grants us by seeking further knowledge of Him (and discovering more reasons to respect Him), obeying His commands (and realizing that His way truly is the BEST way), and by doing good and shining our light to guide others toward Jesus (because it is only through Jesus that hope is found, 1 Peter 1:3-4), then we can come to the point where we no longer place trust in our physical blessings and instead we can happily state, “As long as I have God, I’ll be okay.”

“Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, just as we hope in You.” (Psalm 33:20-22 NKJV)

From wherever you are right now - BEGIN!

(Photo Credit: Cait Fairchild)

The Fear of the Lord is a Fountain of Life

“The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snare of death.” (Proverbs 14:27 NKJV)

    During our study so far we have found that fearing the Lord means revering Him in both awe and trepidation of His power, might, and majesty. Having a wholesome fear of God is the first step in gaining true knowledge, wisdom and understanding. When we properly fear God we will see that He has provided all we need to be pleasing to Him and we will obey His instructions with determination and gratitude.

    Today, let’s consider that the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life. The very image of that statement is appealing and refreshing, isn’t it? When we fear the Lord, humbly submit to Him and obey Him, we have access to an unending spring of sustenance – WOW! How amazing is that! – in God’s word we learn of the path that leads to eternal life and with that we find guidance, strength, encouragement, and hope to help us as we journey on that path! We discover that God provides for our daily physical needs (Matthew 6:25-34), our daily spiritual needs (John 3:16-21, Hebrews 4:16, 1 John 1:9), and loads us with abundant daily blessings (Psalm 68:19)!

    God provides this continual spring of sustenance, this refuge from the sinful ways of the world, a place where we can gain knowledge and wisdom, so that we may avoid the bait and lures of the devil, seeing them for what they really are we can resist them (James 4:7). The snares of the devil lead to spiritual death, and he will use every trick in the book to gain our attention and interest: anger/revenge, lust/sex, jealousy, greed, pride, apathy, the list goes on and on.

    The devil deceives us with lies that lead to death. His deception decays our life now and condemns us to everlasting destruction later. Everything he does is for our harm and downfall; he baits us with lures that when chased will draw us to the depths of despair, but what God provides is LIFE, life through His Son, a better life now, and eternal life later!! Everything God gives by way of instructions for what we need to be doing and by way of boundaries to keep us from things we should avoid – all of His doing is always for our good! God provides all the help we need to grow, develop, and succeed!

    Are you desiring refreshment and revitalization? Seek God, submit to Him and His way, approach Him with fear and trembling and awe-filled adoration and gain access to His abundant provision of sustenance!! Let the knowledge and understanding you gain help you avoid the lures and temptations of the devil. Humbly obeying God’s way will keep you away from the snares of death!! It is worth every effort and every sacrifice!!

You can do it! So can I!!

Gain Confidence Through Fearing the Lord

“In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge.” (Proverbs 14:26 NKJV)

    A little while ago, something came into my day “from outta left field” and although I received the information calmly and attentively, my mind was beginning to reel. After the conversation, as I got into my car I wanted nothing more in that moment than to get home as fast as possible and get to my bedroom where I could privately get down on my knees and pour out my heart to God. I knew without doubt that He could help me sort out what I was feeling and help calm my mind.

    In fearing the Lord, I have learned that His promises of help are real! I have gained strong confidence in His faithfulness and unending love for His children. God is my refuge, the One I run to in times of struggle and in times of joy. My first words of the morning, upon waking, are to Him as are the last words I speak before closing my eyes at night. I run to Him, asking Him to protect my husband and children from harm as they leave the house for the day and as each of them return in the evening I raise my voice to Him in praise and thanksgiving. I ask His care to be upon those who are unwell because I know His care can go to places I cannot; it can span the world, go into war-torn areas, into ICUs, and into the lives of those whose struggles are known only to Him.

    God, Himself, is the refuge of His children and it is only in fearing Him – submitting to Him and to His way in reverent awe and fear – that we can access His proffered refuge. God is not bound by time or fatigue so the refuge we find in Him is always available to us, no matter the time or quantity of times we seek it (consider 1 Samuel 1:12-18 and Hebrews 4:16)!

    Each time you take refuge in God your confidence in Him will grow and develop and your faith will be strengthened! God wants you to have strong confidence in Him and the only way you can construct that kind of confidence is by taking Him at His word (trust Him!), humble yourself, and obey His commands!

    Let God be your place of refuge! Pour out your heart’s joys and sorrows, your hopes and fears, and discover all the good things God provides to those who fear Him!!

You can do it! So can I!!

“In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.” (Psalm 62:7-8 NKJV)