PSALM 103 VERSE 19: "SOVEREIGN GOD, RULER OF THE HEAVENS"

The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all (Psalm 103:19)
“God is in control” is the most popular catchphrase among us Christians, when we come to the realization that there is no way to explain why this, or that, happened.  This is just another way of saying – God is Sovereign, knows all and is in all. In the first 18 verses of Psalm 103, we are given powerful details of the unfathomable, powerful Mind of God. We are told so many things by the Holy Spirit about just a few blessings we should be more than thankful for, it should draw us to our knees…or faces, in sheer gratitude of what He has done for us.

For 18 verses, the amazing list builds on itself, each being a result of the Sovereignty of God. Because God is self-existent, Eternal and sees the end from the beginning, He does what He does. He sits on His Throne in Heaven, from whence He has dispensed both grace and justice from eternity past. That very fact that we are not punished and sent away from Him, to begin with,  is too due to His love, mercy, and compassion. Please reread verses 1-18 of Psalm 103.

Now, we transition from receiving and acknowledging His blessings to full-fledged praise and worship of the Almighty. But first, we must know not just what the Heavens are, but, the meaning of the Sovereignty of God.

We know there are three heavens, from Scripture. The Apostle Paul describes the time He was drawn up to the Throne (just like Isaiah was in Isaiah Chapter 6) and was in the Third Heaven. Paul says “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago-- whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows-- such a man was caught up to the third heaven. (2 Corinthians 12:2).

The Third Heaven is where God resides, with Jesus Christ on His Right Hand, all the Angels and all the saints who have left this earthly life from Adam until the present. Those who are redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb, as shed on the Cross – both the Old Testament and since Calvary, are in the Presence of the Father at this very time. This is the Third Heaven where the Timeless Temple of God resides. This is the Third Heaven where the ministering angels and Michael and Gabriel wait on the Lord and His commands. This is the Third Heaven where our Heavenly Father is always working to will and to purpose. He did not create Heaven, Earth and the Stars etc…and then walked away. God is on the move, hallelujah! 

The Second Heaven is the constellation of the Universe we can see with our own eyes and all kinds of telescopes. These are the created galaxies, stars, moons and other planets.  This is commonly called “outer space” and what the Psalms (and other scripture) speak about when the Word declares “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1). All Creation worships Him. There are planets and moons yet unknown and created all the time. Who can count the stars in the Heavens? No one can. Yet, He knows them by name – all the billions of stars. How Great is Our God? We can only imagine!

The First Heaven is planet earth and our Atmosphere which goes up 20 miles and stops. Outside of this 20-mile radius is the stratosphere and the Second Heaven. The First Heaven is the only one of the three heavens which support life – AS WE KNOW IT. The birds of the air; the fish of the sea; every living animal on the physical ground of earth and all human beings are supported by the God of the Third Heaven and the Power of His Word. One tiny fraction of one degree off, on this hanging ball called Earth, and the earth will disintegrate. God is so sovereign, His mathematical calculations and technical skills are perfect. All life on this earth, human, and mammal have a relatively brief lifespan, as we well know.

All three heavenly places, as ordained by God, are in complete alignment and harmony with their Creator. The very fact of these Three Heavens illustrates His Sovereignty, His Control, His Management over the affairs of all the universe and His Reign as King of all.  In the dictionary, the word “Sovereign” includes the following words in its definition: Supreme Power; Supreme Authority; Ruler of All and independent of all others.  God is all that and more as we studied in some of His attributes, from Psalm 139.  In Psalm 103: 1-18, so far, we note everything He has done for, given or purposed for us. 

God is Sovereign and the Sole Authority because:
-  Only God can create life and all we see around us
-  Only God can control the life He creates, ordaining the time of birth to the time of death
-  Only God can grant His grace and favor to those who hate Him and even reject Him
-  Only God grants Free Will, yet has set the boundaries across which human will can never cross
-  Only God makes a way, where there is no way. He is the God of miracles in healing and rescues the perishing
-  Only God can create circumstances where are disconnected, only to flow seamlessly into one continuous stream, which can be accomplished according to His planned purposes, at the appointed time
-  Only God can  call the unlikely, equip the illiterate, confound the elitists and raise up the ordinary...to do extraordinary things in His Name
-  Only God gives good things which will not harm, but build up, will not destroy but give life and will not deviate from Truth, but confirm His Sovereignty. "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow" (James 1:17)
-  Only God could create human beings, who while enemies until conversion, still loved us enough to come up the plan for the Greatest Story Ever Told - the Story of God leaving the Throne of Heaven to give His life on a Cross, as payment for all sins, of all times.
-  Only God can come up with the best offer, which only the very foolish refuse - that if we believe in our heart, and confess with our mouths, that Jesus Christ is LORD, we will be saved. This offer is for all people, of all times, in all countries, of all races and all phases of life. From the young to the old and the rich to the very poor, the offer is the same, repent, believe the Gospel and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is so simple, many cast it aside. But it is the Hallmark of the Sovereignty of God
-  Only God can forgive sins, any sins. No man, no priest, nobody but God, through Jesus Christ can forgive our sins if we call out to Him in humility and repentance
-  Only God, Who came up with the Plan of Salvation and Redemption, then gave us His Bible to instruct us for a lifetime, in His Ways can do this - because He is Supreme...because He is in charge....because He always existed and because He has a big heart and loves all His people.
-  Only God, the Sovereign King, and Ruler of Heaven would prepare an eternal home for former rebels against Him, who are now born-again, sanctified in the Holy Ghost sons and daughters of Jesus Christ. He has not just prepared a home for us, but a work for us to do, first in the Millennial Kingdom and then the Eternal Kingdom.
-  Only God can see the End from the Beginning, and that End of the current age is not too far away, as time, as we know it, is drawing rapidly to a close.

PRAYER:
Sovereign God, You alone are good. You are created man a little lower than the angels. What are we, that You, the King of the Universe, would be mindful of us, oh God. You sit in the Heavens, on the Eternal Throne, surrounded by worship, clothed in righteousness, defined by Holiness, covered in an unapproachable light where no man can approach. However, if we come to the end of ourselves, ask forgiveness and accept Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary, as the fulfillment of the Gospel, we will live in the eternal kingdom in Your Presence for all Eternity. Sovereign God, we thank You that You alone are God, and there is NO other.  You rule the affairs of all mankind of all time. You have set a time for Judgment. You have set a Day of Reckoning and in Your Authority, You have set in motion, the coming day of the Eternal Kingdom. We look forward to that coming day, oh most Worthy Father. Thank You, for Jesus Christ, Your Son, and my Savior and Lord of all who have surrendered their lives to Him, Who gave His Life to make life here on earth more meaningful, thereby giving us the Hope for Eternal Life, that we too can one day be in the Eternal Kingdom with You. It is in Your most Holy and Precious Name we pray and look forward to that coming day, in Jesus Strong Name, Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE SERIES: THE BOOK OF EXODUS #4

"SHOW ME YOUR GLORY!"

12 Then Moses said to the Lord, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people.’ But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’ 13 Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.”

14 And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

15 Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.”

17 So the Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.” (Exodus 33:12-17)

At some point in their journey of faith, many believers come to a point where they doubt. Healthy doubt is not necessarily a good thing, even though it demonstrates a certain lack of faith. In Mark 9:23-24, Jesus encountered a young boy who was possessed by an evil spirit rendered him deaf and dumb. 

The boy’s father asked for Jesus’ healing mercy, grace and compassion and the response of the Lord is classic “If you can, believe, all things are possible to him who believes”. The response of the father of this poor young chap should be the cry of anyone who is struggling in their faith. Whether this struggle is to persevere through trials, tribulations and long illnesses which we have prayed about or other things, we all need this encouragement to know that the Lord our God is with us….that His Presence goes with a before us. After  Jesus said those words (in red) to this man, the man said “I believe, help my unbelief”. Jesus then healed the young boy.

What this tell us that being in the Presence of the Lord is even colored by doubt. However, never let your doubts hold you back from wanting more of His influence and power in your life! At the point of conversion, we receive the same Spirit of God Who raised Jesus from the dead on Resurrection morning. The Holy Spirit is 100% God and we have Him sealed in with our spirit, until the Day of Redemption when we leave this earth to be with the Lord.  

In order to experience the FULLNESS of joy, as the psalmist says, we must allow Him to work in us. That is, we decrease in pride, arrogance and doing things our way, that He might increase (John 3:30). We must also decrease in wanting to do things our way and start doing what we said we do as Christians - submit to the Lordship of Christ. Moses knew that. Moses knew God Face to face more than once. Moses felt the Heartbeat of God because His Spirit moved Moses to write the story of Creation, the Flood, the Patriarchs, the Exodus and more. Because he God intimately, he was the most humble man of all....and the Bible tells us so...read Numbers 12:3 here.

This is one of the greatest lessons for ALL of us, as we study the Life and Prayers of Moses, from the Pentateuch (Torah, Law). He never asked anything for himself. God gave him the most impossible mission - corralling and leading millions of unruly Israelites out of Egypt and through a desert for 40 years. Yet, apart from losing it and striking the rock (thereby losing his life to disobedience), he always did what God told him. All the prayers of Moses we study through Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy show a man praying for his people, so this prayer request in Exodus 33:12-17 was extra special.

Moses said "I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’ 13 Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way" (Exodus 33:12b-13a). He wanted to see the Father, literally! We know no one has seen God and lived. However many have seen the Living Christ - Who died on the Cross in 33 AD and rose again. Moses himself spent untold days with Him on the Mountain getting the Law and the first five books of the Bible.

The Father was gracious unto Moses and saved his life by putting him in a rock as He passed by. He did that so Moses could still see His Glory passing by (from His back) yet continue his physical existence. God is amazing. He answered the first request from Moses to "show me Your Way" like this:  And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14). The second time Moses asked the same question but this time included the family of God traveling with him (all the Israelites) and it was only THEN God the Father allowed Moses to see His passing Glory!

That is a good lesson too...as favored and as loved and humble Moses was by God, the only Promise to him from Above was the Presence of the Lord (The Holy Spirit Who also lives in us) and REST (verse 14)!! That's it! But showing the closeness of his relationship with the Lord, you can actually read the TONE Moses uses here, when he expanded his first personal request to include those under his charge.

This is our precise charge to pray. Even if we have children or in some cases, grandchildren who are not saved, let us resolve to pray for them first for salvation and for others to succeed, be healed or for guidance. In that way, we will not only see our own spiritual lives soar, but from first hand experience, I can tell you - you will see more than just Creation out there in the Supernatural. God will give you things to see which not many of His own saints will never see. This is the reward of humility similar to the great lawgiver, Moses.

Photo Credit Here 

777 - SEVEN DAYS OF PRAYER STARTS TODAY (JULY 1-7, 2014)

DAY ONE (JULY 1, 2014):
When Anne Graham Lotz (daughter of the great Evangelist Billy Graham) introduced 777 - "An Urgent Call to Prayer",  it marked the first national call to Prayer and Repentance from any national recognized ministry or church leader in a long time. For troubled times like these, this Call could not be any more timely.

While prayer is beneficial to a people and for the personal growth of those called by God, it remains the only line of Communication from the created to our Creator God in Heaven. Prayer still remains the only way we build our love and relationship with Abba Father above. Prayer has been given to us as the modus operandi to enhance our fellowship with "oh, what a Friend we have in Jesus". Prayer still remains the only way to seek forgiveness for our sins -personal and corporate - and to be forgiven by the Father and Judge of the Universe.

Anne Graham Lotz laid out these three purposes as we proceed as individuals to deepen our prayer life and strengthen our walk with Jesus Christ, over these next seven days:

·     For God the Father to restrain, protect, and deliver His people from the evil that has come into our world.

·     For God the Son to be exalted, magnified, and glorified in His church, in our nation, and in our lives.

·     For God the Holy Spirit to fall on us in a fresh way, compelling the church to repent of sin and our nation to return to faith in the living God, resulting in a great national spiritual awakening.

These are worthwhile objectives to keep in mind, but as we begin any prolong period of focused prayer, as we have done several times in recent years on this blog - THE WRITE STUFF - we MUST begin by acknowledging His Sovereignty, His Majesty and His Power.

So as we begin this brief journey together, let us worship His Majesty:
Father God, in Jesus Strong and Mighty Name, I say like Job (Chapter 42) did “I know that You can do everything, that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted." You are all Powerful, all Magnificent, all Glorious, all Knowing, all Sovereign and all Righteous.

Lord, Your Power and Glory has been seen for all generations for all times. You are the Creator and Commander of the Universe. You are the Foundation of Time and the Diviner of All Truth. Nothing came into being or was or is or will be unless YOU, My Father, said so. Nothing lives or dies or flourishes, unless YOU, My Father, grant grace, breath and life according to Your Perfect Will and Wonder.

There is no one greater than You.

There is no one stronger than You.

There is none more righteous than You.

There is none more Holy than You.

There is none like You. 

Therefore Most Holy and Righteous  Father, and as Job said in verse 6 (Chapter 42), I detest myself and my sin and repent in dust and ashes. I am not worthy to be in Thy Holy Presence. I am like filthy rags and have become undone, as Isaiah was when he saw the King. I am a man of unclean lips. We are people of unclean lips and unwashed hearts and yet, You still listen and love and grant us life and liberty.

Lord, I acknowledge You, adore You, glorify and thank You. I worship and bow down before You and praise You Holy Name, on this blessed day You have given. Father in addition to our daily conversations with You, may these next seven days be an extra offering from us, Your people, as we cry out to You for a special dispensation, for such a time as this, in Jesus Holy and Most Powerful Name, amen.

BELIEVE! CREATION DECLARES HIS MAJESTY!

Psalm 19: 1-6

The heavens declare the glory of God;

And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,
Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
Its rising is from one end of heaven,
And its circuit to the other end;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

Psalm 104: 5-10 and 30-33
You who laid the foundations of the earth,
So that it should not be moved forever,
You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
The waters stood above the mountains.
At Your rebuke they fled;
At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away.
They went up over the mountains;
They went down into the valleys,
To the place which You founded for them.
You have set a boundary that they may not pass over,
That they may not return to cover the earth.
He sends the springs into the valleys;
They flow among the hills.

You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the earth.
May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
May the Lord rejoice in His works.
He looks on the earth, and it trembles;
He touches the hills, and they smoke.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

Psalm 8
O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!
Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made him a little lower than the angels,

And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

THIRTY DAY PRAYER CHALLENGE - DAY 4

PRAY THE NAMES OF GOD

DAY 4
GOD IS OMNIPOTENT:


Yesterday's Prayer Point/NAME OF GOD WAS INFINITE

This can be taken both as His Name and one of His many attributes! The extension of being Infinite is Omnipotent - also both a Name and an attribute!


A God Whose scope of His reach cannot be measured  automatically has ALL power in His grasp, in order to execute the full breadth of His Might!


Just as He cannot be limited, you should come to both revere and FEAR Him because of that aforementioned Might!

As we pray on Day 4 of Praying the Names of God, let's key in on the passage I selected from Jeremiah 32:  ‘Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. You show steadfast love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts, great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man, rewarding each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds.
(Jeremiah 32:17-19 ESV)


What we find today is a lack of love - not physical or emotional love of which there is an abundance. I am talking about Agape - the true by which they will know we are Christians (by our love, by our love!!!)


But here, my favorite OT prophet Jeremiah shows exactly why we should be walking repositories of God's love: because HE IS!

Verse 17 says He made the heavens and earth by HIS GREAT POWER and OUTSTRETCHED arm - NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR HIM!  


YET, YET - this same God Who cause the earth to have footings scientists could never explain,  this same God says in this same passage "You (God) show steadfast love to thousands"! Jeremiah undercounted! God has been showing steadfast love to gazillions since Creation - time and time again. 


Therefore, please join me in prayer this morning as we worship this Most Powerful, yet Personal God:


Father God, in the Mighty Name of Jesus, we are IN AWE OF YOU!  
YOU, oh God, Who asked Job where he was when You created the earth and if he could describe its foundation.
YOU about Whom David asked "where I can I go and You are not there".
YOU Who blew open a dry road across a sea to free Your people.
YOU Who led in a Cloud by day and a Pillar of Fire by night.
YOU Who confused the prideful at Babel and destroyed the sinners at Sodom.
Yet YOU Who also said "come let us reason together as men, though your sins be scarlet, I will make them as white as snow"!
YOU Who can be so Infinite and Powerful, yet caring about the soul and life of a single human - WE MAGNIFY YOUR NAME!


LORD GOD - we see Your Omnipotence in everything around us....if we would just open our eyes. 
We see You in the Winds across the Plains.
We see You in the Waves across the ocean.
We see You in the Wheat, golden swaying in the breeze.
We see You in the Work of everything around us.
Yet, Heavenly Father, You reach down and touch the heart of the tiniest baby or unworthy sinner, to save him/her from the pit, for this - WE MAGNIFY YOUR NAME!


Father, all Creation worships You, I do also.
Father, all of Heaven bows down to You, I do as well.
Father, all living things speak of Your Name, I proclaim you as well.
Father, all....all...even the rocks call out Your Name - I preach it from the mountaintop!


Most Holy and Powerful God, I revere, respect and love everything about You! Even when You discipline and call me on things I need to change. I bask in the Discipline of Your Hands. I bathe in the Depth of Your Mercy. I become strong in the Desire for Righteousness.

Thank you for choosing me as a Servant, oh Most High and Magnificent Abba! Thank You, Father, Who is both my Daddy and my Judge. Thank you for judging and more in Your Righteousness...because it is because of Your infinite Power and Steadfastness, I can find true peace, joy, rest, hope and contentment, this day and forever more, in Jesus' Holy Name, amen!

TOMORROW: DAY 5 "GOD IS ADONAI"!!