Read the Bible in a Year (01JUL19)

PSALMS MOMENT – (01JUL19) “They say, ‘The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob takes no notice’ ” (Psalm 94:7). King David, who was the apple of God’s eye, did not think that God was taking notice of him when he took another man’s wife and had him killed. He thought that he had covered his tracks well and that no one would be the wiser as to his elaborate scheme. Yet, God was watching and knew every single detail of what David had done and tried to cover up. David’s actions angered the Lord so much that He sent the prophet Nathan to expose him to his face, and allowed he and Bathsheba’s firstborn son to die. Not only that, God punished David by rendering judgment on his own household. “ This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel” ((2 Samuel 12:11-12). David’s secret sin was noticed by the Lord, and even though God forgave him, he paid a dear price and reaped tremendous consequences for his actions. Likewise, God pays attention to everything that happens in our lives rather it is in secret, or in the open for all to see.

The psalmist posed these questions in the text, “Does he who fashioned the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see? Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge?” (Psalm 94:9-10). The psalmist went on to answer his questions by saying that the Lord knows all of man’s plans and they are pointless. The Lord knows what is in the hearts of man because He is the One who created us. There is nothing that we can do that He does not know or see. It is sometimes easier to commit sin when we think that no one is watching. At the same time, it lets us know the integrity of our own hearts when we can still do right when we think no one is observing. President Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Knowing what’s right doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right.” We all know what is right, but unless we do it, even in secret, it does not mean much as far as our integrity goes. Yet, God is paying close attention. The Bible says, “For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14). Let’s be mindful that God has a watchful eye and is never too busy to take notice of even the smallest details of our lives, for which we will one day, give an account before Him. Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY – (01JUL19) What does it mean to “enter His rest?” The Lord had chosen the Children of Israel to be His special people to bear His NAME, and with this selection came the promise of prosperity if they would be obedient and follow Him. They had seen Him do miracles during the time they were slaves in Egypt leading up to and during the time they were in the wilderness. God’s only desire was for them to listen to His voice and not partake in the idolatry of the other nations. Unfortunately, the Children of Israel were a rebellious people and did not heed to the Lord’s commands. They murmured, complained, and behaved as their heathen neighbors did, which caused God to punish them by letting a whole generation die off before they were able to enter the Promised Land. He said, “They shall never enter my rest” (Psalm 95:11).

Entering God’s rest meant that those who obeyed and trusted in Him would receive the promises that He wanted to give to them. The generation that was with Moses did not receive the rest because of their rebellion, but the next generation that was under the leadership of Joshua received the promises of the Lord. The Bible says, “After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses’ ” (Joshua 1:1-3). The only ones from the previous generation that entered the Promised Land was Joshua and Caleb. Even Moses was only allowed to look at the Promised Land from a mountain because he had disobeyed the Lord as well. Entering God’s rest, the promises that He has for one’s life, involves faith and obedience. We cannot expect the blessings of God if we act in defiance to His WORD. The Prophet Isaiah wrote, “ ‘If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.’ For the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 1:19-20). One day, all who have humbled themselves before God and kept His commands will enter His eternal rest. This rest will have no end, but includes a white robe, crown, various rewards, and a home for all eternity. The Bible says, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12). Something to ponder….

PSALMS MOMENT – (01JUL19) “Whoever dwells in the shelter (secret place) of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). The word shelter that is used in some Bible translations to describe God’s secret place can either operate as a noun or a verb in the English language. One of the noun definitions of the word according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines shelter as something that covers or affords protection. In this sense, we can refer to our homes as a shelter. Yet, there is a verb usage for the word as well. The Merriam-Webster defines the verb usage of the word as placing something under protection. Therefore, when the psalmist says that whoever “dwells” in the shelter (secret place) of the Most High means that they will be provided a spiritual hiding place and protection from the enemy. He may indeed raise an attack, but the Lord provides protection so that the enemy’s attacks will not defeat those who are His.

Resting in His shadow is a place of shade. Those who find rest of the shadow of the Almighty, though the trials may get hot and the soul may become weary, there is a shade of comfort that provides rest in the Lord. There is never any need to fear what takes place outside of the Lord’s covering because He has promised that we will only view those things with our spiritual eyes. The Bible says, “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.  You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked” (Psalm 91:7-8).  Although things may be happening all around us in the natural realm, those who can discern things spiritually will not be affected by them because the Lord is our refuge, and will send His angels to guard us.

Some people have taken the psalmist’s words that we will be able to tread on the lion and cobra literally, but this is not what the Word means. The lion, who is known as the king of the jungle, sets fear in other animals as does the serpent, which slithers its way through the dirt, to capture its prey. Similarly, we know that Satan paces the earth like a roaring lion to seek those he can destroy, and that he is a vicious serpent who is still deceiving the masses as he did with Eve. Therefore, when the psalmist wrote that we will tread on them, it means that the enemy will not get the victory over us because of the Lord’s love for us. The Bible says, “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name…. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation” (Psalm 91:14,16). The Lord does indeed love us and will be our protection in the face of the enemy. We never have to fight the enemy alone because the Lord is our salvation, and in Him, we can place our complete trust. The enemy is going to do what he does best – send pain, heartache, misery, obstacles, deception, and seeds of discouragement. Nevertheless, we know where to go when we need a place of shelter, and that is in the arms of the Lord, for He will never leave us nor forsake us. Something to ponder….  

Watchmen on the Wall: God is Calling YOU!

Read the Bible in a Year (30JUN19)

PSALMS MOMENT – (30JUN19) “…give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your Name” (Psalm 86:11b). Many Christians are walking around with split hearts. Half of their heart is for God, and the other half is hanging on to the things of the world. They know what the Lord’s decrees are and how He wants them to be separate and set apart for Him, but many have a hard time letting go of the world and its ungodly pleasures. They feel that they can have their place reserved in Heaven, while they dance with the devil – unknowingly, having both feet in hell. The Bible says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).  As Christians, we are as Israel were – a chosen people. 

We cannot live, talk, act, and think like the world if we truly desire to live for Christ. If we are indeed a royal priesthood, that means that we must behave as the priest did in consecrating ourselves to the Lord and living opposite of our secular counterparts. We are to be a holy people and the unsaved should be able to look at us and say that we live what we preach. Unfortunately, we say that we believe in God and His word, but do we really? The Bible lets us know that God is a jealous God who does not want us to have any idols before Him; yet, so many Christians think that giving God only half of their heart is enough to satisfy Him. Well, it isn’t!

God is not jealous “of” His children, but He is jealous “for” His children. He wants us to stay on the side of safety under His wings, so that He can provide protection against the enemy. The Apostle James wrote, “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). When we only give God half of our hearts, we are like double-minded individuals; whereas, on one day we are Christians, and the next day, we are living for the world. This is a form of idolatry. When we refuse to be obedient and fully submit ourselves to God, undivided, we are giving the devil access to our lives where we then become compromised. God loves us so much that He gave all of Himself by sending His son to earth to fully die upon the cross and carry the sins of the world upon His shoulders. He did not carry half the sins, ¾ of the sins, He carried ALL the sins of the world on Him. Therefore, because God gave His all for us, we should be willing to sacrifice our all for Him wholeheartedly. Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY – (30JUN19) Do you sometimes allow the enemy to get the best of you? Do you allow him to frustrate you, cause stress, anger, fear, anxiety, and doubt in your life? The psalmist wrote, “The enemy will not get the better of him; the wicked will not oppress him” (Psalm 89:22). We can sometimes give the enemy keys to our temples by what we allow him to place in our minds. We do this whenever we do not make prayer a priority during times of great testing. Therefore, the devil doesn’t ring the doorbell of our minds, he just opens the door with the keys we have given him because we failed to have prayer as our security system. Yet, when we go to the Lord in prayer, we enable the Lord to act on our behalf where the enemy cannot get the best of us. He seeks to destroy us on every front, but prayer is the security that we have in Christ where he will not be able to overtake us in the end. Something to ponder….

SATURDAY PRAYER (29JUN19)

SATURDAY PRAYER – (29JUN19) Our Dear Heavenly Father, we come to you this day with a gratefulness in our hearts for all that you have done for us. We are truly blessed, and it is only because of you that we can open our mouths to say, “Thank you!” So many people dd not live to see another day, but you enabled us to have the breath of life one more time. For that, we owe you our deepest gratitude. We may sometimes take for granted the basic things that we have such as food, water, shelter, clothes, family and friends, but so many people are not privileged to have these things, so we humbly bow before you in honor for what you have and continue to do in our lives. Lord, we make mistakes every day, but we know that you are a loving, caring, merciful, and gracious God who forgives. Therefore, we ask that you forgive us for all the sins that we have committed and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. No one is righteous like you, but we ask that you clean us up, make us new, and mold us into the vessels that you have called for us to be in this late hour.

Jesus, you told us in your Word that you are the Good Shepherd. So, we ask that you will lead, guide, and protect us from the evil prey who would try to do your sheep harm. We ask that you provide a hedge of protection around us so that none of your sheep will go astray. Lord, we pray for those who are lost. We live in a fallen world, and many have not embraced the fact that you are LORD over all. We ask that you will send us to be your agents so that we may help usher people to your throne. We do not care for fame, popularity, money, or status, but we call upon your name so that the world may know you. Let us decrease as you increase across the earth.

Lord, we pray for the sick, widows, elderly, orphans, and those who cannot help themselves. We pray that you allow us to be their voice, defender, and advocate in a way that glorifies your name. We pray for the mothers of children who are contemplating abortions. We pray that you will save your innocent ones from the hands of those who wish to offer them as sacrifices to Molech. We pray for the women, teens and children who are caught up in sex-trafficking. We ask that you will send people to rescue them from their abusers’ hands. We pray that were there are injustices, that you will render your righteous justice, so that the wicked will come to the understanding of your holy ways.

We pray for the protection of our military and those in the highest office of the land. We pray that you protect our president, his family, vice-president and his family, as well as those who are our nation’s first responders. We ask that your guardian angels will surround them as they are coming and going, so they may do the work that they have been assigned to do. We pray for the persecuted Christians across the world and ask that you will provide a safety net for them if not in body, but in mind.

We ask that you will heal every ailment, cover every finance, supply ever job, and provide every need according to your riches in glory. For everyone who is going through depression, anxiety, PTSD, panic attacks and other ailments of the mind, we rebuke the demonic spirits that wish to invade. We cancel every assignment of the enemy that is not in accordance to your will. And for the trials that you have approved, as in the case of Job, we pray that you will give us the strength to endure. We love you Sweet Jesus and we anxiously wait for your soon return. Until such time, we tarry and will remain busy for the kingdom, so that we will hear the words, “Well done.”  We pray all these things in the name of Jesus, Yeshua Hamashiach. Amen.