THINK" SERIES: PART 13 - "WORTHY OF ALL PRAISE"

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things". (Philippians 4:8)

For something to be considered  “praiseworthy”, it follows logic that the object of praise, approval, giving value to, or even some sort of adulation or adoration – must be “worthy of all praise”.

The only Being in this world, where this can possibly fit, is Almighty God, the King of Heaven and Earth. Seeing that the word “praiseworthy” is actually a combination of words used by Paul here, in Philippians 4:8,  that is – “praise” with the preposition “towards or upon”, it only follows that all our praise; all our gratitude; all our worship; all our thoughts need to be directed in this vertical relationship we have with our Heavenly Father, in Jesus’ Name. 

Praise-worthiness explicitly implies a high view of God. It is said by many that what we think about God, at the highest level possible, determines our conduct, attitude, and respect or reverence for and to Him.  If we have a high view of God, the humbler and more surrendered to His Sovereign Will we are.  Conversely, a low view shows the carnal nature of mankind, where God is just an afterthought, even to so-called self-professed Christians. One of the best examples in life and in Scripture can be found in Isaiah Chapter 6. Read this amazing passage of the greatest of all Old Testament prophets – Isaiah, as he is allowed into the very Presence of the Holiest Being in the World – God the Father.  

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!" 4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts." (Isaiah 6:1-5)

 This incredible passage reveals the indescribable scene in Heaven when Isaiah realizes where he is. In verse 5, the prophet said “Woe is me! For I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell amidst a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts”.

The vast majority of us will not have a similar experience on this side of Heaven. However we have the Holy Spirit, if we are born again, Who testifies to the same. But what Isaiah did can be best described as a realization of his own spiritual and moral poverty, and then the Highest View of God possible! 

It is an amazing passage to read, be fired up about, and then praise God that:

1. He draws us into His Presence when He saves us
2. He lets us into the Kingdom – past, present, and eternity. This means that we are now joint heirs with Christ from Eternity Past to Eternity Future
3. We will be tainted by this world, just like Isaiah in verse 5, while we are still in these corrupt times. We are saints who sometimes sin, but the Lord has cleansed us with the righteous fire from the altar of Heaven.
4. The end of verse 5 shows the awesome reverence, adoration, worship...and more that Isaiah had for the good Lord. He acknowledged Who he had just seen.

Acknowledging and being in complete AWE of The Lord of Host, the King of the Universe, led Isaiah to volunteer to serve the Lord of his own free will! All God had to say was, “Whom shall We send”? Our Father is so gracious that even in this generous state, which no living human eyes could ever see, He left it up to the mere mortal Isaiah to willingly serve.

While the greatest worship towards God are things we know about- prayer, praise, reverence, abiding in His Word – a willing heart like Isaiah’s to serve, rounds that up very nicely. 

There are 305 references to the word “praise” in the most literal of Bible translations. The Bible tells us the Lord INHABITS the praise of His people (Psalm 22:3). The meaning of this phrase exhibits the living embodiment of “Praise-worthy”.

That is, because of our high view of God Who knows each and every heart, when we praise, adore and worship Him with our lives -whether it is on Sunday mornings, Sunday or Wednesday in a corporate setting or 24/7/365 in our own daily lives, we have created a pure atmosphere where He can be present and active. 

This is, verifiably, a most significant habit to develop, as an attribute of our Faith. When we have a discipline of awareness of "Praise-worthiness," it can have a tremendous impact on the spiritual and emotional aspect of our lives. Removing the focus from what may, or may not be the deficits in our lives and looking up to the One Who deserves all praise, honor and glory will:

-  Remove self-pity from our thinking.

-  Remove any discontent we have with our current situation and replace it with an attitude of gratitude.

-  Rejoice in what is of prime importance. Our Lord, Savior and Creator is to Whom all praise belongs, so let us then, readjust our entire mindset towards this goalpost, because it is here, to which all praise belongs.

Father, in Jesus' Strong Name, thank You for giving us this direction in Your Holy Word that we may realize what is truly important and that is - keeping our eyes on You, our mind stayed on You and our worship as a lifestyle that will remain free from the stain of the world, the more we focus on Your Goodness, Glory and Power. Thank You for changing us, transforming us, and rescuing us, by the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the King of all Kings, in His Name we pray, amen.

"THINK" SERIES: PART 5 - "STINKING VS BIBLICAL THINKING"

"Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5)

What is it about "Stinking Thinking" that brings so many well-adjusted folks, especially Christians these days, to a not-so-good place? 

By the way, what is "Stinking Thinking" anyway? From all reports, the late great speaker, motivator, encourager, and man of God, Zig Ziglar was responsible for coining the phrase. The Cambridge Dictionary describes it as "a bad way of thinking, that makes you believe you will fail, that bad things will happen to you, or that you are not a very good person". That is the official definition. But in real life, it can be any thought derailing right thinking, period.

There is a story told about the Great Reformer Martin Luther. He said one night, the devil showed up at the foot of his bed with a long scroll of every sin ever committed by Luther. 

As he read those off, in Luther's all-too-real vision, the serpent of old, needled Luther and said "Do you remember this sin? ...." Then Luther would respond: "Yes, I do", and so it went. After this, it went on for a long time. Luther recounted that he felt like he was about the slip into hell when the Lord Jesus showed up. The Savior told Luther to tell the devil to go all the way to the end of the scroll and read what was at the bottom of it.

Luther told him exactly those words. The devil kept reading off sins. Finally, Martin Luther said, "Devil, in the Name of Jesus, I demand that you read what is written at the bottom of your scroll". At the mention of THAT Name, the devil did as was told. At the bottom of that long list of Luther's sins was written in red "All the Sins of Martin Luther have been forgiven by the Blood of the Lamb".

The enemy, from whose clutches Jesus saved us, if we know Him as Lord and Savior and are truly born again, knows our thoughts and sins because he put most of them in there. Every thought of greed and lust for money, riches, illicit sexual pleasure, and covetousness, came from him. Every thought that leads to an ungodly action, even for the strongest believer in Jesus, came from him.

He has a habit of throwing past forgiven sins, in our faces and it is pushed in our faces by thoughts that ambush us, in the most awkward or inappropriate of moments - from quiet time in the morning, or in the middle of a meeting at work, or having lunch with a pastor or anything. If we are not careful, this can defeat people who profess to be Christians, but who are not walking in any kind of victory, or deep Faith, or who have lives guided and directed by the Spirit.

Stinking Thinking invites the weak to make blanket statements, away from Scripture, that "God does not love me....or my spouse...or my boss hates me....or I can't stand that nosey neighbor".....and the next thing we know, we are operating on feelings and emotions far outside the bounds of Biblical Thinking.

Some of this Stinking Thinking may even have to do with self-esteem. If someone from your past - an old schoolmate who knew you as a party machine from senior year in high school or college, but now he or she sees that you more than likely, "party like it's 1699 (i.e. none at all), and you let some long-buried emotion resurface, to cause you to doubt your own identity in Christ, then it's time to move to Plan B.

Plan B is the return to Plan Bible and Biblical Thinking. We will look into this more in upcoming posts, but suffice it to say, Martin Luther, at the behest and prompting of King Jesus, has demonstrated the quickest way to grab those resurgent defeatist old BC (before Christ) "replays" and send them to the dungeon of forgotten sins, which Yahweh has stated is, "as far as the east is from the west".

John 1:12 underscores our Authority to respond as Luther did to the devil. It is the quickest way to defeat EVERY form of stinking thinking; horrible thoughts and anything from the pit of hell. The Bible says in this verse "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His Name".

We take every thought captive, reminding the devil, in the most authoritative statement, that we are Children of God and all our sins - not just those from last week, but those from our past, have been forgiven by the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who defeated the accuser, on that fateful day on Calvary.

Father, in the Mighty Name of Jesus, we thank You that You sent Your Holy and Powerful Son, in that while we were yet sinners, He died for us, that we may be reconciled with You and have Eternal Life in Heaven. Thank You, for giving us the ability to not only take every evil and wicked thought captive but also, for then giving us the capacity and direction to bring these into alignment with Your Holy Word, in Jesus' Strong Name, amen.

Image Courtesy FREEBIBLE IMAGES (Thank you)

INTEGRITY - SIXTH VALUE OF A SOLDIER OF CHRIST

HONOR: FIFTH VALUE OF A SOLDIER OF CHRIST

LOYALTY - FIRST VALUE OF A SOLDIER OF CHRIST

 THE FIRST OF SEVEN VALUES OF A SOLDIER OF CHRIST - LOYALTY

FOUNDATIONAL VERSE: "Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.  No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him."  (2 Timothy 2:3-4 NASB 1995)

WHAT DOES ONE'S "CALLING MEAN"?

There is a general misunderstand of what our "vocation" or "calling" is in life. In the old days, pre- Reformation, a vocation was only a religious calling where someone would take a vow of some sort, go join and monastery and live a secluded life until his/her days were up.

The Reformation changed all of that and Martin Luther among others expounded on what the Christian life is and the many attributes of one's calling in life.

Text-(Matthew 25:14-30)

Parable of the Talents

14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 16 The one who had received the five talents immediately went and did business with them, and earned five more talents. 17 In the same way the one who had received the two talents earned two more. 18 But he who received the one talent went away and dug a hole in the ground, and hid his Master’s money.

19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *settled accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have earned five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’

22 “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have earned two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’

24 “Now the one who had received the one talent also came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed. 25 And I was afraid, so I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you still have what is yours.’

26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You worthless, lazy slave! Did you know that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter seed? 27 Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 Therefore: take the talent away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

29 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30 And throw the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved

OH PRAISE THE NAME OF THE LORD OUR GOD

Great God in Heaven, You are the God Who calls sinners unto Yourself for redemption and salvation, so we can be made whole and more like You. On this day, dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your calling on our lives to grow in You, to live for You, to serve You and love others to You. Thank You dear Heavenly Father, that while we were yet sinners, Jesus Christ died for us.

Because He rose from the dead three days after Calvary, I will rise from the grave. .

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.

Because He prays for us, we have an Audience before the Throne.

Because His Spirit lives in us, Your true believers, we have the Great Hope.

Because He lives, we can see tomorrow.

All praises are to our God. Every voice of praise is to our God. Every praise, every praise is to our God!

Jesus is the Image of the currently Invisible God.

He is the Firstborn of all Creation

All Creation worships Him. Even the rocks can cry out and groan for that day of Redemption

He delivered us from the domain of darkness, into the Kingdom of His Marvelous Light.

Lord, Your Son Jesus, He reconciles everything unto Himself because Your Fullness dwells in Him.

Thank You, Jesus for Your calling, on those whom You have called. Thank You for making a way, when there was absolutely no other way.

Thank You that You overrule the plans of people and clears a path, an impossible path, that can only be explained by Your divine plans and purposes.

In Your Presence, there is fullness of Joy.

In Your Presence, we have an undefiled inheritance.

In Your Power, and through Your Power, we have an unfading, imperishable and steadfast Hope.

In Your Power, through Faith in Christ, we are sealed until the Day, that Glorious Day, which all the world dreads.

In Your Precious Son, Who is the Word – the Living Word – we find the Truth, by which we live all our days.

In His Mighty Personhood, we rejoice, worship, magnify, sing and shout out loud, that He is OUR LORD! Hallelujah.

We rejoice in You, Father, that You set the course of our lives, before the Foundation of the World. Though Lord, we have not seen You, we know You….and You know us by name. We love You as Your Spirit confirms You, as He guides us into the paths of all Truth. And now, most gracious and heavenly Father, at this time when we see ALL the foundations being destroyed, and as You call the righteous to pray, we ask Almighty God in Heaven, that You grow us exponentially in spirit and in truth.

Strengthen us emotionally, physically and firmly in the inner being. Mature us in Your Word. Grant us discernment in abundance. Protect us from all danger, evil and sin. Search us oh God, and know our hearts and see if there is any dross in us. Refine that dross with Your cleansing fire, that we may be pleasing to You, the One Who calls us by His Grace and grant us the double measure of Your shalom, every day of our lives – day to day, week by week, and forever more and it is in the Precious, Powerful and Mighty Warrior Name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, we pray, amen and amen.

THE SUFFERING ON THE CROSS....FROM PSALM 22

Psalm 22 is a stark prophetic message written about 1000 years before the actual Crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, on what we now call Good Friday.

It describes in detail what the Messiah suffered in the Body, on the Cross, and what His thoughts were at that pivotal time in all History! 

As we read this, let us therefore keep in mind, not just the fact that it was prophesied 1000 years before it happened, but that Almighty God, the Great Father of Heaven, had this great plan for the Redemption of All Mankind,  way before the first man walked the face of planet Earth. Jesus, the One Son of God, fulfilled that plan and created the narrow path for our own Salvation, on that great and glorious day, called Good Friday. Amen

PSALM 22 (NKJV)

1   My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?

Why are You so far from helping Me,

And from the words of My groaning?

2   O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;

And in the night season, and am not silent.

3   But You are holy,

Enthroned in the praises of Israel.

4   Our fathers trusted in You;

They trusted, and You delivered them.

5   They cried to You, and were delivered;

They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.

6   But I am a worm, and no man;

A reproach of men, and despised by the people.

7   All those who see Me ridicule Me;

They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

8  “ He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him;

Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

9    But You are He who took Me out of the womb;

You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts.

10  I was cast upon You from birth.

From My mother’s womb

You have been My God.

11   Be not far from Me,

For trouble is near;

For there is none to help.

12   Many bulls have surrounded Me;

Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me.

13   They gape at Me with their mouths,

Like a raging and roaring lion.

14   I am poured out like water,

And all My bones are out of joint;

My heart is like wax;

It has melted within Me.

15   My strength is dried up like a potsherd,

And My tongue clings to My jaws;

You have brought Me to the dust of death.

16   For dogs have surrounded Me;

The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.

They pierced My hands and My feet;

17   I can count all My bones.

They look and stare at Me.

18   They divide My garments among them,

And for My clothing they cast lots.

19   But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me;

O My Strength, hasten to help Me!

20   Deliver Me from the sword,

My precious life from the power of the dog.

21   Save Me from the lion’s mouth

And from the horns of the wild oxen!

You have answered Me.

22   I will declare Your name to My brethren;

In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.

23   You who fear the Lord, praise Him!

All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,

And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!

24   For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;

Nor has He hidden His face from Him;

But when He cried to Him, He heard.

25   My praise shall be of You in the great assembly;

I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.

26   The poor shall eat and be satisfied;

Those who seek Him will praise the Lord.

Let your heart live forever!

27   All the ends of the world

Shall remember and turn to the Lord,

And all the families of the nations

Shall worship before You.

28   For the kingdom is the Lord’s,

And He rules over the nations.

29   All the prosperous of the earth

Shall eat and worship;

All those who go down to the dust

Shall bow before Him,

Even he who cannot keep himself alive.

30   A posterity shall serve Him.

It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation,

31   They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born,

That He has done this.

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A PRAYER AT THE START OF HOLY WEEK 2021

Most Gracious God in Heaven, at the start of Holy Week, we reflect with great gratitude and sadness at what our rebellion, sin and iniquity led to on that Friday, almost two thousand years ago. On a hill far way, as the old rugged Cross exacted brutality and pain from the Suffering Savior, You brought one Final Atonement for all the sin of all the world, past, present and future.

Lord, Your Great Son, Creator of Heaven and earth, bore our sin and shame and carried our pains.  He was afflicted for the terminal illness of the consequences of our sins.  He was persecuted, flogged and then pierced through for our rebellion. He was crushed for all our outrageous iniquities. But by His Wounds, we were healed. By His Stripes He brought us the roadmap to redemption. By His Sacrifice, we were exonerated from paying a massive debt, for which we had absolutely no hope of even paying the interest.

Father, as the Lord Jesus set His Mighty Eyes towards Jerusalem and never wavered, may WE never waver from our commitment to serve, honor and obey You, as the Bride of Christ we have been set apart to be. 

May we, as joint heirs with Christ in the Eternal Kingdom, resolve to set our hearts in motion to love You with all our mind, body and soul.

May our feet be planted on the solid ground of the Gospel of Jesus and the Word of God, which stands forever in the Heavens. 

May our hands reach out and serve the least of these and never grow weary from doing good, from our homes to the hopeless. 

May our ears listen to the clarion call from the Word of Truth to be ye Holy, as YOU are Holy, so we will not stray from the narrow paths of righteousness. 

May our eyes see You in all creation as we worship You in Spirit and in Truth, as one day, even the rocks will cry out.

May our mouths proclaim the Salvation of the Lord, wherever we see the lost, hurting and those who need a hand up or a hope whispered. 

May the Sacrifice, which comes at the end of the week which changed the entire course of human history, not be trivialized but studied to show ourselves approved.  

May it be honored so that we do not grieve the Heart of the Lord and the Holy Spirit. 

May this same Sacrifice by the Good Shepherd Who rescued His wayward sheep, be passed down not just to generations not yet born, but the living who grew up in homes where the Name of the Lord is not well known or revered.  

Father, so, as we remember the Savior's suffering and persecution, may we as Christians, even venture to call our current sufferings - our jewels!

May we regard suffering for Christ a significant honor.

May the griefs we endure be the fuel for a life symbolized by perseverance.

May our sorrows and troubles be seen in light of Who He is and What He did for us, for on that great and glorious Day, when we see Him - face to Face - all things which are now murky as in a mirror, we shall see Him as He is - the King of Heaven and the Lord of all.  

For it is in His Mighty, Strong, Delivering, Powerful, Liberating and Excellent Name we pray - Amen and amen.

CONSIDER THIS: FOUNDATION

 "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock….Matthew 7:25

CONSIDER THIS: The psalm says “unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain…(Psalm 127:1)” Nothing built by this will stand on the Day of the Lord (the Day of Wrath). There is coming a day, when Judgment will rain down on this earth. The majority of people alive now and then do not believe it because they are under the same deception as those in the day of Noah, who perished in the Flood. The only house that will stand is the House of Faith…the House that starts in a redeemed, rejuvenated heart…a heart that has been changed forever by the cleansing Power of Jesus Christ.

ACTION: Today, write down a list of your beliefs, then search the Scriptures daily to see if ALL of them line up with the Word of God. If even the smallest one is off, surrender it to Him immediately, repent and ask forgiveness. Then watch our Heavenly Father lay the Cornerstone of True Faith, to then begin to grow us in wisdom and the joy of the Lord.

Oh Most Gracious God in Heaven, Thy Word is Truth, and it is the foundation of all I am, all I believe, all I want to be and all I live to be. Father, today, build on these strong pillars which You have embedded in my life that I will continue to grow in wisdom, discernment and the ability to anticipate not just what You would expect, but the pitfalls which lie hidden ahead, so that none of them will come nigh. Thank You, Lord for Your blessings on me. Thank You for delivering me, from the bondage of deception into the Glorious Light of Truth, in Jesus’ Strong Name amen.

CONSIDER THIS: INDWELLING

 "Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and He in us, because He hath given us of his Spirit….1 John 4:13

CONSIDER THIS: The word “dwell” here is also translated “ABIDE” – ‘menomen’ in the original Greek language. When you and I were converted from the kingdom of darkness to the Eternal Kingdom of God, in Christ, we were given a “Seal of Approval”, if you will. This seal is the Holy Spirit of God, the Restrainer, Counselor, Guide and Protector. He was placed IN us and we know it because HE IS ALIVE! He LIVES in OUR spirit and abides, indwells, continues to exist as the Agent of Christ.

ACTION: Our job this morning, even for mature believers, is to ensure we continue to walk in step with Him! If we do not, we will be saved, but barely. You cannot lose what you did not have. However, all reward will be lost. Ponder your walk in the Spirit this day. Are you in alignment with Him with Lord and the way to begin assessing the process is to examine all compartments of life. In the 21st century, as it was forever, people like to shut this off from God and give that one up…and so on. We either give all up or we are not in full compliance. Start the process now.

Our Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Spirit Who abides in us and is the guarantee that we are Yours forever. He is more than our security and reminder that You are God. He is there to guide, teach, convict, reveal and direct our paths in the way we should go. Lord, we also know that He is a gentleman and will not force His way on us, unless we allow Him. You are THAT gracious a God, that You allow us, at the risk to ourselves of being self- focused, to make the choice of how much of the God the Spirit we allow to rule our lives. Father, we aim to be 100% even though we are kidding ourselves and are more like 50% of less. Help us move towards that state of full commitment and begin today, in Jesus’ Name amen.

CONSIDER THIS: PROPITIATION

 "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins…." 1 John 4:10

CONSIDER THIS: Propitiation is one BIG word! Also, it is one of the biggest original words in the Bible which is found nowhere else except to refer to this – the satisfactory self-sacrifice of our Loving Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! In fact, the condition of man was so bad, God the Father had to send God the Son to be the only perfect and acceptable payment for our sins – past, present and future – because that was the only satisfactory way for mankind to reconcile with Him.

ACTION: What are we willing to sacrifice to fulfill our end of this amazing compact/covenant/contract with Holy God? Whatever it is today, it MUST cost us something….because it cost Him EVERYTHING! Our self-check today is to examine the strength of our commitment to walk in the manner worthy of our calling as Christians. If there is something lacking here, let us then resolve to move to repentance and recommitment.

Lord, we are sinners who do not deserve Your Grace. Nothing which we can do, in our vile nature, nothing we can sacrifice come close to being acceptable to redeem us before Your Holy and Majestic Throne. How can the imperfect approach the Perfect. It was only when the Lord Jesus, the Ancient of Days, Who did not consider equality with You a thing to be held on to, stepped of His eternal Throne in Heaven, and willingly gave His Life on the Cross of Calvary as the payment for all sin, past, present and future, that You were satisfied with a Sacrifice for Sin. In this respect, we are to not just honor Christ’s willingly giving the human side of His Life but Your, oh Most High God, willingness to accept it, according to Your pre-ordained plan in Heaven. Thank You, Almighty God. Because of this, we can spend eternity in Your Presence, if Jesus is our Lord and Savior and the One Who stands before You as our daily Advocate, in His Name, amen and amen.

CONSIDER THIS: TESTIMONY

   TESTIMONY….”And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death….Revelation 12:11

CONSIDER THIS: The word “Testimony” means the giving of evidence in support of facts. In personal terms, it serves as evidence of a life completely converted, rejuvenated and turned around by Jesus Christ. If a person does NOT have a testimony, they have not been saved. This may sound rather harsh, but the Truth is meant to both set a person free, as well as to inspire them towards doing the right thing…..as this verse plainly states. We can ONLY overcome/win/defeat the enemy and have eternal victory in Jesus via the precious, supernatural Blood of the Lamb of God, for the forgiveness of ALL our sins and the substitutionary atonement thereof.

ACTION:  Do YOU have a testimony? Can you “testify” under oath…give evidence to…and speak publicly about HOW and WHEN Jesus Christ changed your life? Can you? Our very eternal future has been bought at a price and we immediately know it in our very being. So now, that we are keeping, maybe not daily, but somewhat, a note in our Bible or prayer journal, can we act on this – write out your testimony OR tell someone this week, how Jesus Christ removed you from the Dominion of Darkness into the Kingdom of His Marvelous Light.

Father in the Name of Jesus, I pray for that divine appointment to share my testimony with someone this week, about what You have done for, in and through me, because Jesus is my Lord and my Savior. It could be, Lord, a family member, or friend or someone completely unknown, I pray for that opportunity to witness for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in order that both the hearer and myself, may be edified and the Name of the Lord will be greatly to be praised, in Jesus’ Name amen.

CONSIDER THIS: UNDENIABLE

 UNDENIABLE….”But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellencies of the power may be of God, and not of us….2 Corinthians 4:7

CONSIDER THIS: Whether unbelievers “believe it or not” God is their creator and He is written His law in every heart of every human ever born, and that includes Darwin and Hawkings. It is undeniable. For the truly converted Christian though, what is also undeniable is the awesome power, majesty and power of Almighty God is unmatched, unparalleled. The Sovereignty of God is undeniable. Everything is created by, through, of and for Him and is OWNED by Him, not us. From the very minute we awake to laying down to sleep, even our breath is His. At the point of death, even atheists and other cult religion follows know where they will spend eternity – with all but the Redeemed by Christ, headed for eternal separation. This is undeniable. The issue for us is, given all of the above, will we recognize these truths and praise, prepare and proclaim His Mighty deeds, in our own daily quiet lives and in the wider marketplace.

ACTION: Can we put aside our fleshly tendencies to want/have/do it OUR way? Should we? Yes! Look deep inside, we are still holding on to an awful lot of human and spiritual pride. Today- well….dispose of it! Our Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the undeniable truths of Life that You are omnipotent, omniscient and Sovereign over all. As the psalmist says in 139:1-3 “1. O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.

Father we worship, adore, praise, magnify, lift up Your Name and the Name of Your Son Jesus above all else, NOW and every day this year and for the rest of our lives as we see to pursuit Your Heart….to think in accordance with Your Word…to obey Your Will for our lives, that we may be found walking in a manner pleasing to You at all times, in the Strong and Powerful Name of Jesus,  amen.

ABIDE IN CHRIST IN TIMES OF DISTRESS

TEXT:

PSALM 130

1     Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!

2     O Lord, hear my voice!

Let your ears be attentive

    to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

3    If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,

    O Lord, who could stand?

4    But with you there is forgiveness,

    that you may be feared.

5    I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

    and in his word I hope;

6  my soul waits for the Lord

    more than watchmen for the morning,

    more than watchmen for the morning.

7    O Israel, hope in the Lord!

    For with the Lord there is steadfast love,

    and with him is plentiful redemption.

8    And he will redeem Israel

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

DEDICATED TO THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

This is dedicated to all our brothers and sisters in Christ, who suffer for the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. worldwide.

Here is how to pray for the Persecuted Church, courtesy Open Doors:

1. Pray that whatever their circumstances, God will give persecuted Christians the right words.

2. Pray that persecuted Christians will understand and find peace in the sufficiency of God’s grace, even in their weaknesses.

3. Pray that Christians facing hardship will draw from a source of power larger than themselves.

4. Pray God would be present with persecuted Christians in their hardship, protecting them according to His will.

5. Pray their witness would inspire those who seek to harm them.

PSALM 69*

Save me, O God!
For the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in deep mire,
Where there is no standing;
I have come into deep waters,
Where the floods overflow me.
3 I am weary with my crying;
My throat is dry;
My eyes fail while I wait for my God.

4 Those who hate me without a cause
Are more than the hairs of my head;
They are mighty who would destroy me,
Being my enemies wrongfully;
Though I have stolen nothing,
I still must restore it.

5 O God, You know my foolishness;
And my sins are not hidden from You.
6 Let not those who wait for You, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed because of me;
Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel.
7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
Shame has covered my face.
8 I have become a stranger to my brothers,
And an alien to my mother’s children;
9 Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up,
And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
10 When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting,
That became my reproach.
11 I also [e]made sackcloth my garment;
I became a byword to them.
12 Those who [f]sit in the gate speak against me,
And I am the song of the drunkards.

13 But as for me, my prayer is to You,
O Lord, in the acceptable time;
O God, in the multitude of Your mercy,
Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.
14 Deliver me out of the mire,
And let me not sink;
Let me be delivered from those who hate me,
And out of the deep waters.
15 Let not the floodwater overflow me,
Nor let the deep swallow me up;
And let not the pit shut its mouth on me.

16 Hear me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good;
Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.
17 And do not hide Your face from Your servant,
For I am in trouble;
Hear me speedily.
18 Draw near to my soul, and redeem it;
Deliver me because of my enemies.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ALL OF PSALM 69

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.