CRAVE FOR DIVINE DIRECTION!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY MARCH 03, 2024.

SUBJECT : CRAVE FOR DIVINE DIRECTION!

Memory verse: "Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go." (Isaiah 48 vs 17.)

READ: Second Samuel 5 vs 17 - 20:

5:17: Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David King over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it and went down to the stronghold.

5:18: The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim.

5:19: So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?” And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.”

5:20: So David went to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there, and he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim.

INTIMATION:

God's ability to direct our lives well is infinitely beyond our ability. Divine direction is our heritage in Christ, because when you receive Him as your Lord and Savior, He gives you the right to become a child of God. (John 1 vs 12.) A child of God enjoys the leading of the Father. Though divine direction is your heritage, but you must seek it in order to enjoy it because God created us as free moral individuals, therefore, allows us to make our choices. 

Divine direction can be obtained through prayer of inquiry. In Matthew 7 vs 7, Jesus said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock; and it will be opened to you." If the path you are going on seems like a dead end, ask Him, "Lord, where is the right side of this venture?" When you locate the path of life, you enjoy fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore, which is our ultimate goal in prayer.

God is committed to leading you in the path of life He has ordained for you even before you were born. But inquiring in prayer ensures your access to His leading. David was a man who understood superbly that nature of God, and used it greatly. The power of the prayer of inquiry was outstanding in his life, hence God called him a man after His heart. 

In the passage we read today, we saw David’s exploits through inquiry and receipt of  divine direction from the Lord. Further in the same chapter, David again inquired of the Lord about the Philistines, and the Lord instructed him on what to do; “And David did so, as the Lord commanded him and he drove back the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer.” (vs 25) 

When you ask, God gives liberally, because He is committed. He is a loving Father, so be relaxed in His presence and ask as many questions as you need to be clear on every vital issue of your life. David wrote of the Lord in Psalm 16 vs 11, "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." 

When God leads you, you can't but become outstanding in life. Some people are not cut out for business, but have chosen to do it, either because of social influence or personal affection. Others are into all manner of professions where their star may never shine, because they haven't located the right path. They just keep groping around. 

However, you can't afford to go through life doing what seems right to you. It is too risky! "There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death." (Proverbs 16 vs 25.) The apostle James said, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." (James 1 vs 5.)

We are often confused by the events around us. Many things we will never understand, others will fall in place in years to come as we look back and see how God was working. You need not understand God's ways (His ways are beyond our understanding), or worry if you don't understand everything as it happens. Instead, we should trust that God knows what He is doing, even if His timing or design is not clear to us. 

Don't give up in your efforts in seeking God. Continue to ask Him for more knowledge, patience, wisdom, love, and understanding. He will give them to you. When you ask, God is committed to answer; He knows that without His direction your destiny is not secured. But until you ask Him, you will just keep doing what seems right, not what is right, and until you do what is right, you can't be marked right in life. David, in Psalm 37 vs 23, gives us the reassuring promise of God's direction in our lives; "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way."

When God leads you, He makes a leader out of you. But one wrong step can lead to a 40-year setback in life, as was the case of Moses and the children of Israel. Jesus tells us to persist in pursuing God. People always give up after a few halfhearted efforts and conclude that God cannot be found. But knowing God takes faith, focus, and follow-through (I call it the three 'Fs'), and Jesus assured us that we will be rewarded. (Matthew 7 vs 7 - 8.)

Divine direction was what rescued the disciples from an all-night futile toiling on the sea. Jesus came and said to them, "Cast your net on the right side of the ship and you shall find." They did, and were not able to draw in the net, for the multitude of fishes (John 21 vs 3 - 8).

Do you want breakthroughs? Then inquire of God in prayer concerning any issues before you take any steps. He will answer you, because He is interested in everything that concerns you. God is the only One who can lead you to true pastures and He is set to do so. If only you will let Him. He said; "Call upon Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know." (Jeremiah 33 vs 3.)

Remember, you can't wish problems away, you must rise up to the challenge, and effect a change. You don't have to accept the status quo, you are a child of destiny! Where you are now may not be God's ultimate for you. You can get to the top, if only you will push in prayers. You too can  live a problem-free life, and I see you getting there, in Jesus' name!

Prayer, Abba Father, You are my Loving Father, and Faithful Companion. Outside of You, I can do nothing, and without Your direction, I can never fulfill my destiny. Give me the grace, O Lord, to constantly inquire from You concerning any issues in my life, that I may obtain Your leading through the Holy Spirit indwelling me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

BE A TRUE WORSHIPER OF GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY MARCH 01, 2024.

SUBJECT: BE A TRUE WORSHIPER OF GOD!

Memory verse: "God is a Spirit: and those that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." (John 4 vs 24.)

READ: John 4 vs 23 - 24:

4:23: But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

4:24: God is a Spirit: and those that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

INTIMATION: 

True worshipers are those that worship God in spirit and in truth. And God seeks such worshipers. “God is Spirit” means He is not a physical being limited to one place. He is present everywhere, and He can be worshiped anywhere, at anytime. It is not where we worship that counts, but how we worship. 

In worshiping God in spirit, Jesus is speaking of worship that comes from within the individual as opposed to the ritualistic or ceremonial worship. As the time of this encounter with the Samaritan woman, both the Jews and Samaritans had digressed into a worship that was ceremonial and located. But this would change. Jesus came to reinstitute true worship that did not depend on the location of the worshiper, or the ceremonies through which one goes through in order to inspire worship. The worship He was bringing would be according to the Word of God and from the heart of man.

In truth: The worship would not be the invention of men who created their own worship of a god they had created after their own image. God does not accept worship that is invented after either the traditions of men or the uncontrolled outburst of emotionally hysterical people typical of the sabbatarians. The worship about which Jesus is speaking in this context is the worship that is truth directed. It is directed to the God who has revealed Himself through inspired words of revelation. When one comes to the knowledge of this God and His desires through His revealed Will, the worship is directed according to the Will of God. 

This worship is opposed to worship that is invented after the emotional desires of men or the ritualistic ceremonies of those who seek a manifestation of worship through performances. What Jesus is saying in the most profound statement is that one must know the Word of God in order to worship the God of the Word. Ignorance of God’s Word leads to one worshiping a god who is the creation of one’s mind. Such is idolatry.

God is spirit: it is not that God is a spirit, He is spirit (Second Corinthians 3 vs 17). He cannot be seen by mortal eyes. Neither can He be conceived to be a physical being after the form of man. Those who would conceive God to be in the form of a man are seeking to make an idolatrous god with whom they can physically identify. Such is the spirit of idolatry. Since God is spirit, then those who worship Him cannot do so after material means. True worshipers approach God on a spiritual basis, realizing that He is everywhere, sees all things, and knows all things. 

Christians are those who worship God in the spirit (Philippians 3 vs 3). This is one of the greatest arguments against worshiping God through mechanical means, performance of ceremonies, or even the outburst of hysterically misguided emotions. Such things may appeal to the carnal desires of men and manifest a presence of worship, but such are useless in communicating the worship of one’s heart to the God who is above the physical environment of man. The more one focuses on performance of worship, the environment of worship, and ceremonies, the more the worshiper focuses on himself. His worship, therefore, becomes inward focused, and often entertainment that is masked as worship.

We must remember that true worship originates first with the heart and is directed according to how God has determined that our worship toward Him should be conducted. We must also remember that the heart is motivated by love. A loving heart worships God because God has stimulated such by His own love. And if you love Him, you should keep His commandments (John 14 vs 15). Anything you do, remind yourself that He is present with you and sees what you are doing. Therefore, your conduct should be truthful, sincere, lovely, and in keeping His commandments. And do all things in true worship to the Lord!

 

Always seek the leading of our Helper—the Holy Spirit—in your genuine and true worship. How does the Holy Spirit help us worship? The Holy Spirit prays for us (Romans 8 vs 26), teaches us the words of Christ (John 14 vs 26), and tells us we are loved (Romans 5 vs 5).

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire to lead a life of true worship to You. Give me the grace to accomplish this in my life; living for You, and engaging the leading of the Holy Spirit at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

FAITH IS A POTENT FORCE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY MARCH 02, 2024.

SUBJECT : FAITH IS A POTENT FORCE!

Memory verse: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that comes to God, must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11 vs 6.)

READ: Hebrews 10 vs 19 - 23:

10:19: Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 

10:20: by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,

10:21: and having a High Priest over the house of God,

10:22: let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

10:23: Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

INTIMATION:

Faith is a potent force without which prayer will be absolutely unproductive. Building up your faith is a prerequisite for effectual communication with God. The Bible calls faith "The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11 vs 1.) You are holding in confidence the things you have asked in prayers, and perceiving as real facts what is not revealed to the senses. It is the ticket on which you take delivery of anything from heaven.

Your confidence in God must first be in place before you ask Him for anything, because though His Word presented before Him grants you audience in the Throne Room, your faith in Him (in His Word) is what motivates Him to act on your behalf. Therefore, it is you, not God, who determines whether your prayer gets answered or not. Though ‘He is ready to perform His Word’ (Jeremiah 1 vs 12), He demands your faith that leads to a personal, and dynamic relationship with Him.

You don't only approach God with His Word, you must come with an unwavering assurance that ‘He abides faithful and cannot deny Himself’ (Second Timothy 2 vs 13). Therefore, your approach to the Throne Room must be with unwavering faith. The Scripture in James 1 vs 6 - 7, says, "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord."

Once your faith and trust in God is established, you can rest assured of results when you pray. You will not only believe in the existence of God, but also believe in His loving care. That is relying on God with full  expectations that He will hear and answer when you pray and that He is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do.

In Matthew 9, two blind men prayed to Jesus for the restoration of their sight. Even though Jesus heard them, He did not heal them until He was assured of their faith in Him: "When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!" And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him, and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this? They said to Him. Yes, Lord. Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you." And their eyes were opened...." (Matthew 9 vs 27 - 30.)

Jesus didn't respond immediately to the blind men's pleas. He waited to see if they had faith. They followed Him all through to the house, pleading with Him to heal them, and that shows believe and commitment. Not everyone who says he wants help really believes God can help him or her. Jesus may have waited and questioned these men to emphasize and increase their faith. When you think that God is too slow in answering your prayers, consider that He might be testing you as He did the blind men.

Jesus, by His death and offering of His blood in atonement for our sins, has made it possible for us to approach God in the Throne Room directly. We must come not halfheartedly or with improper motives or pretense, but with pure, individual, and sincere worship in faith. We can know that we have “a true heart” If we evaluate our thoughts and motives according to His Word. Christians can approach God boldly, free from our “evil conscience” and in full assurance because of the work Jesus Christ did for us in redemption.

Under the new covenant of accepting the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, our hearts and consciences are cleansed completely, not partially or temporarily, from dead works to serve the living God (Hebrews 9 vs 14). Christ’s sacrifice transforms our lives and hearts and make us clean on the inside. Our clean conscience allow us to enter God’s presence with boldness. We have a personal access to God through Christ and can draw near to Him without an elaborate system, and growing in faith to deepen our relationship with God.

Prayer: Abba Father, my trust is in You who made heaven and earth. In You I live, and move, and have my being. My faith is forever anchored in You. Whatever You cannot give me, let me not have it. Whatever You cannot do for me, let it remain undone, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

KEEP THE ‘ROYAL LAW’ AND FULFILL ALL THE LAW!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 29, 2024.

SUBJECT : KEEP THE ‘ROYAL LAW’ AND FULFILL ALL THE LAW!

Memory verse: " If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well.” (James 2 vs 8.)

READ: Romans 13 vs 8 - 10; Galatians 5 vs 14:

13:8: Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.

13:9: For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

13:10: Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Galatians 5:14: For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 

INTIMATION:

The ‘royal law’ is the law of loving one another. It was given by our great King Jesus Christ, who said, “Love one another as I loved you” (John 15 vs 12). This is the principle upon which human relationships are established. One does well if he or she manifests loving concern for his or her neighbor as he or she does for himself or herself. To love others was not a new commandment (see Leviticus 19 vs 18), where it was originally summarized, and was the basis for all the laws of how people should relate with one another. 

However, to love others as much as Christ loved us is revolutionary, and absolutely very rare in a world dominated by selfishness—“me first.” Now we are to love others in consonance to Jesus' sacrificial love for us. Jesus is a living example of God's love—Who gave His only Son as a propitiation for us, we are to be living examples of Jesus love as well—bearing one another’s burden (Galatians 6 vs 2). 

Jesus summarized the law as ‘Love for God and neighbor’ (Matthew 22 vs 37 - 40). The royal law holds us accountable to God, and devoted to others. In the the passage we read today, the apostle Paul said that love demonstrated toward a neighbor would fully satisfy the law. Therefore, when we fail to love we are actually breaking God’s law. 

A heart of love, both toward God and your fellow human, is a fundamental requirement in our relationship and fellowship with God. Jesus gave us a commandment in John 13 vs 34, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another." His unique and unequalled love for us caused Him to give His life for us, hence He said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15 vid 13).

We must treat all people as we would want to be treated. This is a debt that all believers in Christ owe. Why? Because we are permanently in debt to Christ for the lavish love He has poured out on us. The only way we can even begin to repay this debt is by fulfilling our obligation to love others in turn. Because Christ’s love will always be infinitely greater than ours, we will always have the obligation to love our neighbors. 

The love for our neighbor is limitless and has no boundaries. It doesn’t ignore anybody, because ignoring anybody, whether rich or poor, is tantamount to withholding our love. But we must not favor the rich for what they can do for us, while ignoring the poor who can offer us seemingly nothing or so little in return. The Scripture recognizes love for one another as a demonstration of love for God; "If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar, for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" (First John 4 vs 20.) Therefore, love your neighbor you are seeing before you can claim your love for God you do not see.

Christians must obey the law of love, which supersedes both religious and civil laws. It’s quite easy for us to excuse our indifference to others merely because we have no legal obligation to help them, and even, in some circumstances, justly harming them if our actions are technically legal! For instance, if our actions are legal and beneficial to us, we may not care how it affect others. But Jesus does not leave loopholes in the law of love. Whenever love demands it, we are to go beyond human legal requirements and imitate the God of love. 

When we believers lose the motivation of love, we become critical of others. We stop looking for good in them and see only their faults. Soon we lose our unity. Have you talked behind someone’s back? Have you focused on others’ shortcomings instead of their strengths? Remind yourself of Jesus’ command to love others as you love yourself. (Matthew 22 vs 39). When you begin to feel critical of someone, make a list of that person’s positive qualities. When problems need to be addressed, confront in love rather than gossip.

It’s noteworthy that we need self-love that can influence our love for others. But even if you have low self-esteem, you probably don’t willingly let yourself go hungry. You take care of your body and may even exercise. You clothe yourself reasonably well. You make sure there is a roof over your head. You try not to let yourself be cheated or injured. This is the kind of love we need to have for our neighbors. 

Now, do we see that others are fed, clothed, and housed as well as they can be? Are we concerned about issues of social justice? Loving others as ourselves means actively working to see that their needs are met. Interestingly, people who focus on others rather than on themselves rarely suffer from low self-esteem.

Examine your attitude and actions toward others. Do you build people up or tear them down? When you really criticize someone, remember God’s law of love and say something good instead. Saying something beneficial to others will cure you of finding fault and increase your ability to obey God’s law of love.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of love for You and my neighbor that I may keep the royal law, and consequently fulfill all the law to the glory of Your name, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Finally and Totally Justified

 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. (Romans 8:33)

Paul could have said here, “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?” and then answered, “No one! We are justified.” That’s true. But that is not what he said. His answer instead is, “God is the one who justifies.” 

The emphasis is not on the act but on the Actor.

Why? Because in the world of courts and laws where this language comes from, the acquittal of a judge might be overturned by a higher one. 

So what, if a local judge acquits you, when you are guilty, if a governor has the right to bring a charge against you? So what, if a governor acquits you, when you are guilty, if the emperor can bring a charge against you? 

Here’s the point: Above God, there are no higher courts. If God is the one who acquits you — declares you righteous in his sight — no one can appeal; no one can claim a technicality; no one can call for a mistrial; no one can look for other counts against you. God’s sentence is final and total.

Hear this, all you who believe on Jesus, and become united to Christ, and show yourself among the elect: God is the one who justifies you. Not a human judge. Not a great prophet. Not an archangel from heaven. But God, the Creator of the world and Owner of all things and Ruler of the universe and every molecule and person in it, God is the one who justifies you.

The point: unshakable security in the face of tremendous suffering. If God is for us, no one can successfully be against us. If God gave his Son for us, he will give us everything that is good for us. If God is the one who justifies us, no charge against us can stand.

BE A DOER OF THE WORD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2024.

SUBJECT: BE A DOER OF THE WORD!

Memory verse: "But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2 vs 20.) 

READ: Luke 6 vs 46 - 49:

6:46: But why do call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not the things which I say?

6:47: Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings, and does them, I will show you whom he is like:

6:48: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep, and laid the foundation on a rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded upon a rock.

6:49: But he who heard, and did nothing, is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently, and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.

INTIMATION:

A “doer” adopts an act to express a thought or feeling or believe. Consequently, a “doer of the word” adopts acts that express the believe, thought and feelings relating to the Word of God heard. Unless you are a doer of the Word, you are not a true believer of the Word. You only have mental assent without action, and it is mere empty profession of religion of words. 

When you are a doer, the Word is living in your lips. It is just as though the Master spoke it Himself. And that “doer” gets what he or she prays for, because the “doer” does the things that are pleasing to God. In order words, we are Father-pleasers just as Jesus was; doing the things that are pleasing to Him in accordance with His Word. 

The Scripture in John 8 vs 29 says, "And He Who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him." It is the doer of the Word that receives things from God. The Father is always with the doer of the Word. Idle words may entertain men, but they do not reach God.

Jesus is more concerned about our work than our talk. He wants us to do right, not just say the right words. What you do cannot be separated from what you believe. Faith without corresponding actions is barren. Your words may be lovely, and beautiful, but they are merely empty words without corresponding actions, and are never crystallized or made real unless you a doer of the Word. 

Obedience to God is the fundamental requirement in being a doer of the Word. Obeying God is like building a house on a solid foundation that stands firm when storms come. From the passage we read today, to build “on the rock” means to be a hearing, responding disciple, not a phony, superficial one. Practicing obedience becomes the solid foundation to weather the storms of life.

When life is calm, our foundations don’t seem to matter. But when crises come, foundations are tested. Be sure your life is built on the solid foundation of knowing and trusting Jesus. Those who do not obey God, He would call them builders on a sandy foundation, just a sand house made by idle hands on the seashore to be destroyed by the next incoming tide. Foolish builders, build on the sand of their senses, instead on the Word of God which is forever settled in heaven. Such religion of Word without corresponding action is very dangerous, and results in self-delusion.

This passage we read today was the concluding part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He compares two lives that have several points in common: they both built, they both heard Jesus’s teaching, and they both experienced the same set of circumstances in life. The difference between them isn’t caused by ignorance but by one ignoring what Jesus said. Externally, their lives may look similar; but the lasting, structural differences will be revealed by the storms of life. The immediate differences in your life when you follow Jesus may not be obvious, but eventually they will turn out to affect even your eternal destiny. 

When you are real doer of the Word, God is always with you. Jesus said in Matthew 28 vs 20, "...To observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." As the Father-pleasers, He is always with us as He was with Jesus (John 8 vs 29), and if He is with us, who can be against us? (Romans 8 vs 31.) 

We are laboring together with Him. (Second Corinthians 6 vs 1.) He is with us in the living Word. He is with us in the presence of the mighty Spirit that lives in us. He hasn't left us alone, and He will not leave us alone. His ability is our ability; His strength is our strength. As we begin to do the Word, He begins to work in us, and work through us. 

When a “doer of the Word” comes to God, he comes with a clear conscience, without fear, confident that his or her request will be heard. When he or she says, "God You know that I am doing your Word," then the heart is persuaded. And when you are in His presence for intercession, your heart is not fearful; your heart does not condemn you. Your heart is in perfect fellowship with this living Word and you have boldness in His presence, conscious that you are welcome. You make your petition in the name of Jesus, and you know that the Father hears you and that you have the petition of your heart.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of active faith and obedience to Your Word, building up myself in solid and unshakable faith in Your Word, and doing all according to Your Word, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

TRUST IN THE LORD COMPLETELY!

 

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 27, 2024.

SUBJECT: TRUST IN THE LORD COMPLETELY!

Memory verse: "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind s stayed on You, because he trusts in You." (Isaiah 26 vs 3.)

READ: Psalm 125 vs 1 - 2:

Psalm 125:1: Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.

125:2: As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.

INTIMATION:

Trusting in the Lord completely means having faith that He knows what is best for your life, you expect Him to keep His promises, help you with problems, and do the impossible when necessary. Trusting in the Lord completely pleases Him. When you put your absolute trust in the Lord, He will surround you as the mountains surround the city of Jerusalem. You will confidently say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress." Those who trust in the Lord completely have the same claim and experience expressed by the psalmist in Psalm 91; the perfect expression of the result of our absolute trust in God. Recite Psalm 91 daily in assurance of your trust in Him.

The reason we trust in the Lord is because He is an unchanging God. As the mountain remains unmoved, so do the consistency of our God. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Malachi 3 vs 6; Hebrews 13 vs 8). And because "The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy," (Psalm 147 vs 11), He surrounds His people now and forever. You are continually in His presence. And "In His presence is fullness of joy, and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Psalm 16 vs 11.)

Noah was one of the people that trusted in the Lord. Even when God asked him to do something that made no sense to him, he trusted God and obeyed. Noah knew nothing about flood as there has been no rain before that time, so he knew nothing about rain. He has never seen an ark or built a ship before, but obeyed the instructions God gave him and adhered strictly to the measurements and materials God told him to use. 

Obviously Noah was faced with three problems that could have caused him to doubt. First, he had never seen rain, because prior to the flood, God irrigated the earth from the ground up. (See Genesis 2 vs 5 - 6.) Second, Noah lived hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean. Even if he could learn to build a ship, how would he get it to water? Third, there was the problem of rounding up all the animals and then caring for them. But he didn't complain or make excuses. He trusted God completely, and that made God smile at him. It took Noah 120 years to build the ark. I imagined he faced many discouraging days. With no sign of rain year after year, he was ruthlessly criticized as a "crazy man who thinks God speaks to him." I imagined Noah's children were often embarrassed by the giant ship being built in their front yard. Yet Noah kept trusting God.

Trust is an act of worship. Just as parents are pleased when the children trust their love and wisdom, your faith makes God happy. And without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11 vs 6.) Trusting in the Lord completely pleases Him, and consequently He ensures you are kept in perfect peace that surpasses all human understanding. 

We can never avoid strife around us in this world, but with God we can know perfect peace even in turmoil. When we are devoted to Him, our whole attitude is steady and stable. Supported by God's unchanging love and mighty power, we are not shaken by the surrounding chaos. Do you want peace? Keep your thoughts and your trust in God. The secret of stability is to trust in God, because He never changes. He cannot be shaken by the changes in our world, and He endures forever.

Prayer: Abba Father, in You I put my whole trust. Whatever You can’t do for me, let it remain undone, whatever You can’t give me, may I never have it. Forever my trust is permanently anchored in You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!