Monthly Archives: May 2015

May 29, 2015 · 5:40 AM

10 Scriptures On Glory

 

1.   Who is He then this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah [pause, and think of that]! (Psalm 24:10 AMP)

2.   And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. (Romans 8:17 NLT)

3.   All of us, then, reflect the glory of the Lord with uncovered faces; and that same glory, coming from the Lord, who is the Spirit, transforms us into his likeness in an ever greater degree of glory. (2 Corinthians 3:18 GNT)

4.   Fear-of- GOD is a school in skilled living— first you learn humility, then you experience glory. (Proverbs 15:33 MSG)

5.   THE HEAVENS declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows and proclaims His handiwork. (Psalm 19:1 AMP)

6.   And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. (1 Peter 5:4 ESV)

7.   Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children. (Proverbs 17:6 NLT)

8.   For God will reward each of us according to what we have done. Some people keep on doing good, and seek glory, honor, and immortal life; to them God will give eternal life. (Romans 2:6-7 GNT)

9.   But glory and honor and [heart] peace shall be awarded to everyone who [habitually] does good, the Jew first and also the Greek (Gentile). (Romans 2:10 AMP)

10.   Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner. (1 Peter 4:12-13 MSG)

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May 28, 2015 · 6:09 AM

Lessons From Noah

All of the raining and flooding here in Texas has made me revisit the story of Noah in Genesis 6-8. While I’ve read it as an adult and heard it multiple times as a kid in Sunday School, I had never gone through verse by verse, version by version to break it down to see what things stood out to me. What I’ve found is that I’m not ready to build an ark yet, but I am willing to do the things Noah did that helped him to find favor with God in a time that no one else did. Out of everyone on the planet, he and his family were saved because of how he lived.

Genesis 6:6 says that God regretted even making man and putting him in His creation. Verse 8 says that Noah found favor in God’s eyes though. He was willing to be the only person who did what was right. In a world where desecration, outrage, infringement, assault and lust for power were the norm, Noah found favor with God because he was not willing to give into the desires of the flesh. He knew how God had wanted us to live. He was willing to be the only person who did what was right even if no one else was. He was willing to stand alone in his faith.

Noah was able to stand alone in his faith, endure ridicule and honor God when others wouldn’t because He spent time with Him. Genesis 6:9 says, “Noah walked in habitual fellowship with God. (AMP)” The only way your faith can survive hard times or times when you are the only one who is serving God is through habitual fellowship with Him. Noah made time for God. He walked with God. He talked with God. He made Him a priority each and every day by setting aside time to spend with Him. The Bible says that because of that, Noah found favor in God’s eyes.

Because He had that favor, a God was willing to save Him. He was willing to trust him with a plan that would take years to fulfill. He gave him the blueprints to build the ark and set him free to do the work. I believe another reason God saved Noah was because he was obedient. The last verse in Genesis 6 says, “So Noah did everything exactly as God told him. (NLT)” He didn’t try to put his own spin on what God asked him to do. He didn’t try to find other ways to interpret what God could have meant. He simply obeyed and because he did, God saved he and his family.

In Matthew 24:37, Jesus said, “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (ESV)” There will come a time again when people will be living like the people of Noah’s generation. In that time, God will look around for faithful people. He will look for those who are willing to live for Him when no one else will. The ones He finds will be the ones who walk with Him habitually and obey everything He tells them. You and I are called to be that type of person, if you can’t walk with Him and obey Him now, how will you be able to when evil takes over the world? The time to walk with God us now.

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May 27, 2015 · 7:06 AM

Psalm Of The Living

I’ve never understood why Psalm 23 is solely used at funerals. I believe it is a Psalm for the living. David didn’t write it for a deceased friend. He wrote it to thank God for being his guide in this life. David’s path had twists and turns, ups and downs just like yours and mine.looking back on his life, he realized where God had been right with him in the hardest of times and when God had brought rest when he needed it most. God still does that today for you and me. Let’s look closer at this Psalm today to see how it applies to our lives.

When the first verse says that the Lord is our shepherd, it’s implying that we need someone to feed, guide and protect us. Sheep need help pretty often. The shepherd doesn’t get upset with the sheep for messing up or getting lost. He goes after them and brings them back to safe pasture where they can flourish. It’s a great image of what God does for each of us when we wander away from the path He has for us. He searches for us and returns us to where He wants us and can protect us from the enemy.

I like how the Message puts the next couple of verses. It says, “True to your word, you let me catch my breath and you send me in the right direction.” God knows that there are times in life when we get so busy that we need a break. He intervenes in our lives constantly trying to take us to those still waters causing us to lay down. He wants us to catch our breath and rest from time to time so we won’t burn out. When we’ve caught our breath, He points us in the right direction and sets us loose again.

Sometimes that path goes through the darkest of valleys, but we don’t have to be afraid. The New Living Translation says, “I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.” God doesn’t abandon us in the darkness of life. He’s right beside us enduring it with us. When we are in the valley, he is there with his rod and staff to protect and comfort us. He’s not way out ahead of you in the sunlight saying, “Come on! Hurry up and get here.” No. He’s right there with you in the darkness, by your side saying, “I know you’re hurt and I feel your pain. I won’t leave you here in this place.”

In verse five, the Message says, “You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing.” No matter who is against you or what life brings in the valley, God has a plan. He has times of refreshing ahead for you. He gives you what you need to sustain you in those times, then He takes you to place where you will know joy once again. He revived our heavy hearts and lifts our spirits. When we look up, we will see that our cup full of blessings is overflowing with God’s goodness. We don’t have to feel forgotten or lost because God still gives blessings in the darkness of the valley.

David wrapped up this powerful Psalm by saying, “I know that your goodness and love will be with me all my life. (GNT)” He knew because God had been faithful to him. He could trust God because God had never let him down even in the valley. We too can know that God’s love and goodness will be with us all the days of our lives. The New Living Translation says that God’s goodness and unfailing love will pursue us. He will not stop being with us or pursuing us with His love in this life. So you see, this is a Psalm of the living more than the dead. God is with you right now no matter what part of the path you’re on. Trust in Him and His plan. He’s watching over you like a good shepherd. 

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May 26, 2015 · 7:51 AM

Peace In Uncertainty

Have you ever noticed that the in depth weather report is at the end of the news? They might bring them out early to give you a tease about the weather, but they won’t give specifics until later in the broadcast. I’ve read many times that the weather is the most watched part of the news. I’ve always wondered why. They’re rarely right. The rest of the news is a presentation of facts that have happened and the weather is a prediction of what will happen. We are intrigued with possibilities and predictions more than the past.

I also think it’s interesting that the opposite is true when it comes to the Bible. We are more concerned with what’s happened than with what will happen. I would venture to say that Revelation is probably the least read book in the Bible. We care about the future of the weather, but not the future of mankind. I understand it’s very cryptic and hard to follow at times because a man two thousand years ago was trying to describe the world of technology and advancement like what we live in. 

Another reason I think people steer clear of it is fear. We fear what we don’t understand.we fear the wars and plagues that are coming. I’m convinced that God did not give John the Revelation to make us afraid, but to inspire hope and to give us peace. As believers, the book of Revelation reveals the final steps before spending eternity with Jesus. It is a reminder that no matter how bad things get in the world or in your life, God knows ahead of time what’s going to happen and that He and those with Him will be victorious.

I get hope in knowing that no matter what comes my way, God knew it in advance and has prepared me for it. He is not like the weather reporter who guesses at the future. He knows with certainty what will happen. We can trust His promise in Deuteronomy 31:8 that says, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you. (NLT)” He knew we would be afraid of what the future holds. He knew that we would need Him right there with us so he made us that promise.  

Another promise I hold onto when the future is uncertain is Isaiah 43:2. It says, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. (NLT)” Jesus even told us that in this world we would have trouble. He told us that hard times were coming. He then said, “I have told you all this (the future) so that you may have peace in me.” We don’t have to be afraid of the future, we can have peace.  

What’s your favorite promise from God?

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May 25, 2015 · 5:25 AM

Honor Those Who Gave All (Video)

Render to all men their dues…respect to whom respect is due, and honor to whom honor is due.
Romans 13:7

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May 22, 2015 · 6:59 AM

10 Scriptures On Honor

  
1.   Show respect for old people and honor them. Reverently obey me; I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:32 GNT)

2.   Show respect for all men [treat them honorably]. Love the brotherhood (the Christian fraternity of which Christ is the Head). Reverence God. Honor the emperor. (1 Peter 2:17 AMP)

3.   Honor your father and mother so that you’ll live a long time in the land that God, your God, is giving you. (Exodus 20:12 MSG)

4.   Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. (James 1:9 NLT)

5.   Honor the Lord, all his people; those who obey him have all they need. (Psalm 34:9 GNT)

6.   Render to all men their dues. [Pay] taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, and honor to whom honor is due. (Romans 13:7 AMP)

7.   And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love! (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 MSG)

8.   Some people keep on doing good, and seek glory, honor, and immortal life; to them God will give eternal life. (Romans 2:7 GNT)

9.   Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. (Romans 12:10 NLT)

10.   Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16 AMP)

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May 21, 2015 · 7:17 AM

The Law Of Correspondence 

Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but Let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind.Romans 12:2 (GNT)

One of Brian Tracy’s psychological laws is the Law of Correspondence. It states that your outer world will always be a reflection of your inner world. Your demeanor, actions and reactions are indicative of what’s going on inside your mind. Jesus put it this way, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45)” Whatever is going on in your heart and mind shows up in your words and actions. That’s why you can often look at someone and know there is something wrong going on with them.

We try to cover up our hurt, our insecurities, our fears and sins, but they always seem to find a way to the surface. We can try to change our actions, but those on,y last for a little while. Ben Franklin carried a book with him in which he wrote down his vices. He tried to keep track of what he did, when he did it and what triggered it. Then he would do everything in his power to not repeat those things. What he found was that he could only do it for so long before other vices popped up. He was trying to control an inside problem with an outside mechanism.

Because we judge each other based on external actions, we often try to control our own external actions so as not to be judged. The problem is that we can’t do it for very long either before something else pops up. That’s why God doesn’t deal so much with our actions as He does with our heart. He knows that our external actions and sins are a result of what’s going on inside of us. He doesn’t deal with the fruit of the problem, He deals with the root.

Romans 12:2 tells us that God wants to transform our minds so that we won’t conform to the ways of the world. When we allow God to transform our heart and mind, we begin to act differently than before. II Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any person is in Christ, he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old previous moral and spiritual condition has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new one has come! (AMP)” God takes away our old way of thinking and puts in us a new mind that wants to do things his way. 

If you’ve accepted Christ, but are still struggling with actions that are in conflict with how He wants you to live, pray and ask God to transform your mind. Give Him permission to come in and change your inner world so that your outer world will be a direct reflection of who He wants you to be. Scripture says that man looks at outward appearances (actions too), but God looks at the heart (mind too). He is more concerned with what’s going on inside than outside. It’s important that we stop trying to control our actions as Ben Franklin tried to do and to allow God to change our actions through the renewing and transforming of our hearts and minds. 

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May 20, 2015 · 7:35 AM

False Assumptions

One of the most frightening verses in the Bible to me is Judges 16:20. Samson was a judge of Israel and probably the strongest man who ever lived. He was given supernatural strength at times in his life and was used by God to fight the Philistines. We all know how Delilah tricked him into telling the secret of his strength. When she had his hair cut off while he was sleeping, she let Philistines in the house to capture him. Verse 20 says, “Then she shouted, ‘Samson! The Philistines are coming!’ He woke up, thought, ‘I’ll get loose and go free, as always.’ He did not know (realize) that the Lord had left him.”

The first thing that stood out to me is that the enemy is coming. There’s not a time as a believer that the enemy is not coming for us. He is always behind the scenes trying to get to the source of our strength. He knows that if he can get to our source, he can cause us to fall. Like Samson, he wants to bind us up and blind us spiritually. The enemy desires to make each one of us as ineffective as possible. We must stand guard against him. I Peter 5:8 says, “Stay alert! Watch out for your enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”

The next thing I saw is that Samson became complacent with the gifts God had given him. He assumed that what had always worked in the past would work in the future. He felt like he was above sin. He thought he could play with fire and not get burned because he had always gotten away with it. Numbers 32:23 says, “You may be sure that your sin will find you out.” Just because you’ve sinned and haven’t had major consequences in the past doesn’t mean you won’t get them in the future. Don’t become so complacent with sin that you think God will always overlook it.

The last thing that frightens me is that he didn’t even realize that God had left him. Since he was a young boy, the Lord’s spirit had been with him. It had become normal for him to experience it. For some reason, he forgot that his strength was supernatural and thought it was his own. He relied less on God’s presence and more on his own wisdom. When we do that, we push God’s presence out if our lives. God expects us to get our spiritual strength from him and to not rely on our works to save us. In II Corinthians 12:9, God reminded Paul that it wasn’t about him. He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”

Samson’s biggest problem was assumption. He assumed that he would always be able to defeat the enemy and that it was his strength and not God’s. His assumptions caused him to lose the power of God in his life. When he repented, God was able to use him one more time to defeat the Philistines. He finally learned that it wasn’t about his ability, but God’s. He remembered that his strength came from God and not from within. When we do that, we can be prepared for any attack the enemy brings and defeat him in the strength of the Lord. 

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May 19, 2015 · 7:09 AM

Raising A Standard

We all know the saying, “When it rains it pours.” Somehow when bad things happen, the sky seems to let loose and we struggle to find a ray of sunshine. There are times when those days of rain turn into weeks, months and sometimes years. We can get caught up in a cycle of bad things happening to the point that we forget what it’s like to experience God’s goodness. During those times it’s easy to want to give up or even to quit hoping for the sun to shine again. In those times, it’s important to submerse yourself in God’s Word to help you pray and to find hope again.

One of the scriptures I stand on and pray when bad things continuously happen is Isaiah 59:19. It says, “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. (AMP)” When bad things keep happening and I’m beginning to feel like I’m going to drown because there is so much bad news, I ask God to raise up a standard against the enemy who is coming to attack me. I pray that God would deflect the attack and help me to get my head above water again. 

I also like to turn to the Psalms. David was a man who was constantly under attack and he recorded some great prayers asking God to help him. One of my favorites is found in Psalm 54:1. David’s prayed, “Come with great power, O God, and rescue me! Defend me with your might.” David understood what we need to understand. The battle is not ours, but the Lord’s. Pray that He would come defend you against the attacks of the enemy and rescue you. God is our rock and our fortress in times of need. Run to Him and allow Him to defend you.

Another one I pray is from Isaiah 54:17. God said, “But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgement you shall show to be in the wrong. This peace, righteousness, security and triumph over the opposition is the heritage of the servants of the Lord. (AMP)” That word “prosper” simply means to succeed. No matter what the enemy brings against you, he will not succeed because you are a servant of God and it is your heritage to have peace and security in the bad times. 

As a Christian, you are going to face hard times. You are going to see some dark days. That doesn’t mean that you are out of God’s will or not His servant. Jesus said the rain falls on the good and the bad. The biggest difference is that you and I have a God who will rise to the challenge on our behalf. We serve the One who is made strong in our weakness. Quit trying to fight the battles in your own strength and rely on His. Pray His Word over your life and your situation and rest in the peace that God will work out whatever is going on to your benefit.

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May 18, 2015 · 5:49 AM

Look At Your Heart (Video)

6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Jesse’s son Eliab and said to himself, “This man standing here in the Lord’s presence is surely the one he has chosen.” 7 But the Lord said to him, “Pay no attention to how tall and handsome he is. I have rejected him, because I do not judge as people judge. They look at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart.”

I Samuel 16:6-7

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