psalm 22

my God my God why have you abandoned me?

why are you so far away when I groan for help?

every day I call to you my God but you do not answer

every night you hear my voice but I find no relief

yet you are holy

enthroned on the praises of israel

our ancestors trusted in you

and you rescued them

they cried out to you and were saved

they trusted in you and were never disgraced

but I am a worm and not a man

I am scorned and despised by all

everyone who sees me mocks me

they sneer and shake their heads saying

is this the one who relies on the Lord?

then let the Lord save him

if the Lord loves him so much

let the Lord rescue him

yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb

and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast

I was thrust into your arms at my birth

you have been my God from the moment I was born

do not stay so far from me

for trouble is near

and no one else can help me

my enemies surround me like a herd of bulls

fierce bulls of bashan have hemmed me in

like lions they open their jaws against me

roaring and tearing into their prey

my life is poured out like water

and all my bones are out of joint

my heart is like wax

melting within me

my strength has dried up like sunbaked clay

my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth

you have laid me in the dust and left me for dead

my enemies surround me like a pack of dogs

an evil gang closes in on me

they have pierced my hands and feet

I can count all my bones

my enemies stare at me and gloat

they divide my garments among themselves

and throw dice for my clothing

O Lord do not stay far away

you are my strength come quickly to my aid

save me from the sword

spare my precious life from these dogs

snatch me from the lion’s jaws

and from the horns of these wild oxen

I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters

I will praise you among your assembled people

praise the Lord all you who fear HIm

honor Him all you descendants of jacob

show Him reverence all you descendants of israel

for He has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy

He has not turned His back on them

but has listened to their cries for help

I will praise you in the great assembly

I will fulfil my vows in the presence of those who worship you

the poor will eat and be satisfied

all who seek the Lord will praise Him

their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy

the whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to Him

all the families of the nations will bow down before HIm

for royal power belongs to the Lord

He rules all the nations

let the rich of the earth feast and worship

bow before Him all who are mortal

all whose lives will end as dust

our children will also serve Him

future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord

His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born

they will hear about everything He has done

selah 🙂

we cannot read this first verse without recalling Jesus’ immortal words on the cross eli eli lamech sabach thani which in Aramaic translates to my God my God why have you forsaken me?

God could never separate Himself from the experience of death on the cross.

His father self was able in some measure that blows our minds to turn His back on His son self cos He couldn’t stand the sight of sin.

Jesus can connect with your abandonment in the sense that He knows what it’s like to have your father not be able to look at you to be full of revulsion at the sight of you even though he doesn’t love you one bit less than before you did something abominable or embarrassed yourself by not performing according to his standard of excellence.

it can get frustrating waiting on a particular answer from God and experiencing delay in the arrival of that answer.

sometimes God allows us to endure pain to teach us a lesson about trust.

if everything always went right in our lives we would be completely reliant on ourselves and get swelled heads.

our faith is proven by fire.

God always answers our prayers just not always in the way we expect.

sometimes we think He can’t hear us when really He is speaking to us we just fail to recognize His voice.

example when a little kid is about to steal momma’s cookies He might tell them don’t touch the cookies.

but we superimpose God’s will on HIs own and say Lord you love me and you want me to have good things don’t you so you must want me to have these cookies

thank you Lord for blessing me with these cookies then we greedily gobble them up

see we did something blasphemous then even as we did something good in thanking the Lord for His provision.

as we know one right doesn’t cancel out a wrong.

if our gratitude comes from a place of a bad spirit then it is polluted by the deed we associate with it.

God wants us to have good things but He also wants us to be obedient to our parents.

this is how we develop discernment of spirits.

we know God would never tell us to do something that is evil or condone that kind of behaviour.

the only time He approves of disobedience is when the laws of the land or the rules of our parents are contrary to the will of God then we have a right and an obligation to rebel against the rules and follow God’s path even if it costs us our lives.

it’s funny to think that God sits on our praises like a throne.

that’s a beautiful mental picture.

not all of our ancestors trusted in God but all those with any kind of braincells in their heads did.

it’s impossible to live our lives without bringing some kind of disgrace upon ourselves but we can minimize the amount if we spend the majority of our life trusting God completely.

we all have times when we hate on ourselves and feel like the whole world is against us.

the Lord’s willingness to get us out of a difficult situation has nothing to do with the unchangeable fact of His love for us.

we know that God has provided a way of escape from all temptations and forms of torture even if its just the promise of a brighter tomorrow beyond the stars.

God allowing some Christians to be persecuted without striking muslim terrorists and hindu extremists and vicious minded Buddhists with lightning bolts has nothing to do with His love for us but is a reflection of HIs willingness to deepen our connection with HIm.

we may not see God permitting us to be born as a miracle until we have experienced the grief of a mother who has suffered a miscarriage or seen her child born without a beating heart or only live for a few days cos it didn’t have the organs necessary or the prerequisite functionality to survive in this world.

in a sense  God is God even before our birth but as we grow older we become more aware of His existence.

God belongs to us in the best possible sense when we choose to accept Him in our hearts.

then He becomes father not just creator.

it is not correct to say that we are converted to Christ from birth.

this only happens when we are conscious of what we are getting ourselves into and choose to accept Jesus in our hearts for ourselves.

yes a parent can train up a child in the way they should go so when they are old t hey won’t depart from it but no matter how many Christian principles a parent may teach a child it’s not enough to know about God we have to know HIm personally in order to belong to Him.

reading Michael Jordan’s rebound may have made me an expert on Michael Jordan but it doesn’t make me a member of his family anymore than it does my homie who grew up in north Carolina who has far more rights than I do to claim kinship with him.

it is not enough to grow up in a culture of knowing about God.

that’s not what makes us Christians although our environment certainly helps as a contributing factor towards our faith.

what makes us Christians is completely surrendering our lives to Jesus loving the things He loves and hating the activities and proclivities He hates ( never the people who participate in such abominable practices that makes His stomach hurl).

when we feel like no one can help us remember God can always help us.

imagine how scary it would be to be surrounded by bulls on all sides.

when terror strikes at your heart remember you can always count on God to rescue you.

when david talks of a life being poured out like later it brings to instant recollection how Jesus’ blood was poured out for us and how He is the living waters of life eternal.

when we drink from HIm when we taste and see His goodness we will never be thirsty for any other source of inspiration.

He must become our deepest longing our primary source of fulfilment.

any pleasure we find in any other area of life must pale in comparison to the sheer exuberance found in being close to His heart.

any joy we find in other people should only serve to remind us of how wonderful He is for it is only His influence that is making people treat us right and show us honour and respect.

we may lie to ourselves that God has forgotten us and left us to suffer but it’s never true cos we can always reach out to Him. He is always capable of rescuing us.

verse 16 reminds us of the nails driven into Jesus for the sake of His love for us.

imagine both the agonizing pain He was forced to endure and how deep a passion He feels for us that He would consider clinging to His life less important than sacrificing it for the sake of one who called Him stranger or hated enemy.

none of us can be apathetic about Jesus if we are honest with ourselves.

we either love Him or hate HIm.

when you sin you prove that you hate God and when you obey God you prove that you love Him .

its just like your girlfriend if you only say you love her and never show it by your actions your I love yous mean nothing and are practically worthless.

a wild ox has no discipline.

this was the mindset of those jews who called out gazing at the bloodied body of Jesus after He had been scourged- let His blood be on our heads and the heads of our children.

we know now unlike luther that a curse will not alight without cause.

the jews were cursing themselves but that curse would not take effect unless they lived a life of disobedience to Yeshua Meshiach.

even this act of surrendering their saviour to the cross did not break God’s covenant with them o change their status as His chosen people, it just enabled the rest of us to be adopted into His family of purest perfect agape love.

God’s heart breaks when He sees the poor suffering.

some people with twisted minds will talk about God being capricious and mocking us when things don’t go according to our plans but that is never HIs nature.

He is always kind and loving even in His discipline and anger.

God has promised provision to the poor.

that doesn’t mean those poor souls that are starving from hunger lack the faith to believe that God can provide for them.

God doesn’t need us to be kind and generous to people He can drop down quail and manna from heaven but He uses us to be HIs hands and feet more often than not so oftentimes the reason why someone doesn’t get their prayers answered the way they want when they want their hunger to be satisfied and they are in most desperate need is because those who God wishes to bless through the act of being a blessing to them have hardened their hearts and decided they would prefer to keep their food to themselves rather than sharing it little knowing they just missed a chance to share their snack with Jesus . 🙂

I pray for every human soul to nurture and develop a relationship with Jesus and invite Him to sit on the throne of their hearts and take over and transform their lives forever.

I pray we will see the fulfilment of leadership and governance of this earth being handed over to Jehovah in our lifetime.

obviously we know it hasn’t happened yet.

God makes everything beautiful in His time.

we patiently await His restoration to the throne of rulership of this planet even though it’s frustrating cos we see how earthly leaders mess it up when they don’t stick an ear towards heaven and wait for God’s guidance before making a decision that will affect the future of their country.

if you are mortal you are commanded by God to worship Him.

seeing as none of us are even half god none of us has an excuse not to worship HIm.

the next time you are tempted to delude yourself into thinking you’re god try to get yourself out of a crisis using things made by yourself. I guarantee you won’t be able to do it. deliverance from evil and trouble is only possible with God’s divine assistance.

firstly I hope I have kids.

if I do I would definitely want them to be completely devoted to Jesus.

I wouldn’t care what kind of success they have in this world only that their future was safeguarded beyond it which to me is the ultimate definition of success.

I wouldn’t care who their spouse was as long as they are both over eighteen and love Jesus.

we are living in a world of biblically illiterate youngsters.

this is the fault of their parents not taking the time to raise them right and teach them the bible from cover to cover.

we can say t his is the responsibility of pastors in churches which is true but it is also the responsibility of parents to reinforce t he teaching their children get in the church and lets be honest how many times have you heard a pastor give a sermon on every single book in the bible even in the course of two years which is slightly less than the time it takes to do a weeks worth of sermons on each one?

some of us are better at the rhema than we are at the logos.

we are better at the testimony of what God has done in our lives rather than sharing why we believe what we believe yet both are equal in importance for we are saved by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. we are saved by the life giving word of God nourishing us and making sure we are not those seeds that get choked by weeds cos we don’t turn to HIs word for a solution in a time of crisis.

in the physical sense it may take God time to arrive with assistance for us but in the spiritual sense help is only a prayer away cos He provides strength beyond ourselves, He provides meekness or self control He provides the ability to endure horrible situations where we are full of frustration and perspiration and wonder when our relief will ever arrive. yes He is there in that moment. He is king in that instant . He is sheltering us and assisting us . He knows what we need before we even ask of it. before we cry out for help His angels are already rushing on their way to our side.

He provides comfort and protection for us round the clock.

He is the one who sustains our lives and remains with us even when walls of distance are put up between us and friends or family members through opinions or circumstances that may be beyond our control or otherwise inclined.

remember He is a God who heals and restores.

don’t think that your situation is ever too impossible for Him to rescue or too insignificant for Him to care about. Yes He does have a lot on His plate but He’s always got time to hear your complaints and pay attention to your recitation of the infinite list of thank you notes we all owe Him for every breath and heartbeat. ❤ 

 

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psalm 21

how the king rejoices in your strength O Lord

he shouts with joy because you give him victory

for you have given him his heart’s desire

you have withheld nothing he requested

selah

you welcomed him back with success and prosperity

you placed a crown of finest gold on his head

he asked you to preserve his life

and you granted his request

the days of his life stretch on forever

your victory brings him great honour

and you have clothed him with splendour and majesty

you have endowed him with eternal blessings

and given him the joy of your presence

for the king trusts in the Lord

the unfailing love of the most high will keep him from stumbling

you will capture all your enemies

your strong right hand will seize all who hate you

you will throw them in a flaming furnace

when you appear

the Lord will consume them in His anger

fire will devour them

you will wipe their children from the face of the earth

they will never have descendants

although they plot against you

their evil schemes will never succeed

for they will turn and run

when they see your arrows aimed at them

rise up O Lord in all your power

with music and singing we celebrate your mighty acts

selah 🙂

we should never rejoice in our own strength but only in God’s.

when we praise the Lord He celebrates along with us.

the Lord inhabits the praises of His people and delights in them.

it’s true that God had HIs hand on david’s life cos despite his foibles he always repented every time he messed up and never stopped believing in Jehovah.

we know of only one exception to this rule and it is probably the most painful example of an experience any father can have- that unlike Abraham where a substitute was provided in the form of a ram, there was no avoiding the suffering that david had to go  through when his newborn baby was permitted to be destroyed by God cos he was a child born of sin.

the circumstances of his birth came about as a result of a one night stand david had with bathsheebah when she was still married to Uriah.

Uriah was too loyal to his king and his fellow soldiers to spend a night at home with his wife when his brothers in arms were dying on the battlefield.

it’s a pity his king had no respect for his soldier risking his life to protect his kingdom.

david placed him on the frontlines of the battle where it was the hottest with action and most intense with violence and advised his army captain to allow Uriah to fall into the hands of their enemies.

in this action david made his army captain and Uriah’s fellow soldiers guilty of sin just as david was.

consequently they all had invisible blood dripping off their hands which could only be removed by prayer to the only right and real God.

the only other thing that God didn’t give david as far as we know from scripture which was the desire of his heart was to permit him to set in motion plans to build a temple in His honour.

this was because david was a man of war and the temple had to be built by a man of peace.

what about moses? you may ask ‘ didn’t he kill people and have a place where people could talk to God?

well yes my friend you are right he did but that was a tent of meeting- that was a temporary meeting place and not a permanent residence. 🙂

God later made david’s dream come true through his son Solomon so this counts as a fulfilled promise cos david didn’t add the provisio in my lifetime. 🙂

david is wise to acknowledge as the Fijians do in their flag with the lion on top of the crown that God is the source of all power, wisdom and guidance and all authority is bequeathed by Him.

we can never have any positions of high placement over others unless He permits it to be so.

it’s true that our lives are only preserved because God holds back the angel of death from visiting our house.

when david talks about living forever it makes me think he had a strong grasp of the concept of eternal life.

back in that time Jesus had not died on the cross for our sins so those who were righteous would go to a place near hell called Abraham’s bosom.

this place is now empty cos there is no need for it anymore.

when a sinner comes to repentance , when a sick person gets healed, when couples going through relationship struggles in a God honouring relationship manage to solve them with divine assistance God gets the victory and we share in that victory as part of Him.

He is separate from us, operating independently of us and yet He is simultaneously connected to us through the spiritual d.n.a linkage of the blood of His son transfused into our spirits and flowing out of our speech and actions.

in Him we live and move and have our being.

its amazing how undeserving former sin slaves like us can be clothed in the awesome  jaw drop inspiring glory of God.

david would have understood the joy of the Lord cos even in  the midst of a situation like a lion , bear or giant attacking him or his people he didn’t let fear overwhelm him but trusted in the power of his God to deliver him.

joy is inseparable from trust.

I love the fact that even when we stumble God’s unfailing love is able to help us get back on the righteous road if we ask Him to heal and restore us, if we repent of our sins and ask HIm to make us new creations and create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit in us immediately.

we don’t know how much time we will have on this earth so God will definitely answer that prayer straightaway with a big fat yes.

it is very dangerous to declare yourself an enemy of God cos it’s a guaranteed way to get yourself in strife and throw your soul straight into irredeemable hellfire.

we wait with longing for Jesus’ reappearing on this planet.

we wait for the skies to crack open and the dead in Christ to rise from their graves.

it seems cruel to wipe kids off the earth for the sins of their parents but we know God is kind not cruel so in permitting the destruction of new born babes born to wicked parents He is exercising foreknowledge and seeing ahead of time that the children will act like their parents otherwise He would have let them live- like david did with mephibosheth preserving the house of saul although all his family bar jonathan were exceedingly wicked.

one guaranteed way to lose every time is to fight against the will of God cos He always wins.

you will always wind up laughing on the other side of your face if you try that.

I don’t want God’s arrows aimed at me cos I am living a habitual lifestyle of wickedness do you?

I would much prefer that He fights on my behalf to deflect the arrows of the enemy and cause them to ricochet back in their twisted sinister demoniac faces.

we must remember as the old song goes to count our blessings name them one by one and it will surprise us what the Lord has done.

why does it surprise us?

cos it’s easy to dismiss the hand of God working behind the scenes pulling invisible strings in our lives to make things happen for us as fate or coincidence.

but that way of thinking robs HIm of glory, it steals the credit that belongs to Him.

it is a shameful way of  thinking to thank your lucky stars instead of their maker.

we do not trust in the fateful determinations of Ouija boards, fortune cookies tellers or horoscopes.

instead we project our hope for the future straight onto the one who gave us our present and past who preserves our lives and serves while leading by example as the provider of our energy and strength, the emancipator of our souls and constant key to our healing , the redeemer of confusion and bringer of clarity, the source of hilarity in the midst of our heartache, our sanity when this world drives us mad with loneliness, our righteous Lord who is our peace , our joy and our reason for being. ❤ 

psalm 20

in times of trouble may the Lord answer your cry

may the name of  the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm

may He send you help from His sanctuary

and strengthen you from jerusalem

may He remember all your gifts

and look favourably on your burnt offerings

selah

may He grant your hearts’ desires

and make all your plans succeed

may we shout for joy when we hear of your victory

and raise a victory banner in the name of our God

may the Lord answer all your prayers

now I know that the Lord rescues His anointed king

He will answer him from HIs holy heaven

and rescue him by His great power

some nations boast of their chariots and horses

but we boast in the name of the Lord our God

those nations will fall down and collapse

but we will rise up and stand firm

give victory to our king O Lord

answer our cry for help

selah 🙂

I was in trouble but I didn’t cry out to God.

what a stupid choice to ignore His guiding voice.

I just praise God for all the dangers He has kept me from when I am asleep or awake.

I know God is always whispering alternative options to me other than walking in disobedience to HIm.

I know also that HIs voice starts to feel more distant when He knows i’m not going to heed His warnings and be a stubborn fool.

but I also know He doesn’t completely abandon me to my own devices this side of eternity.

even in the midst of my despair and sin He is capable of rescuing me and gaining triumph over the enemy the second I submit my will to HIs.

I know nothing can separate us from the love of God.

I hate to do what displeases HIm.

I hate to corrupt my mind in what I choose to watch and listen to.

I feel so guilty and rotten inside.

I don’t know how to make things right again.

I know He is rich in grace and mercy.

He enables us to be overcomers in Christ.

having mental problems is made bearable as long as I remain morally pure.

I can’t deal with myself seeing any manure in my mentality.

it makes me sick to the stomach.

God please let my thoughts and the intentions of my heart reflect yours in entirety.

when david talks of Jerusalem he is not referring to earthly Jerusalem but the new Jerusalem awaiting for us when we get to heaven.

it is wonderful to think that even though we forget the amount we sink into tithes and offerings God always keeps account of them in His record book.

He will make sure that all our efforts to advance His kingdom are rewarded if not in this world then most definitely in the next one.

the way He helps us in this world is by placing His peace and joy within our hearts and helping us to keep our eyes on HIm not on our circumstances.

we can never drift so far away from God that He is unable to reach us, assist us and guide us.

we know that our offerings must be given in the right spirit.

it’s no good giving them if we are hugging grudges against our brothers and sisters in Christ.

God can still use our gift but we will receive a greater blessing if we detach ourselves from bitterness and unforgiveness than if we continue to cling tightly to them.

we know that hateful thoughts come from the devil not from God.

if we think about killing someone in our minds or bruising them or even slapping them up it’s the same as doing it in real life.

its ok to slap your kids but never your spouse.

let God do the slapping when they are by themselves and He starts pricking their consciences.

my hearts desire is to have a wife and kids.

I know my plans will succeed if they are formed out of a desire to please God in every area of my life.

it makes me happy when sinners give their hearts to Jesus or when God works a miracle to bring healing to someones sick body.

I celebrate the victory Jesus has won over sin and death in my life.

its my prayer along with david that all the prayers of my friend that are in alignment with His assignment for their lives will come into fruition.

not all prayers are answered the way we might like but all are answered with a yes , no or come back later.

it’s not helpful or useful to question God’s judgement in such matters.

many have let the opportunity to receive Jesus in their hearts slip through their fingers cos they judged the nature of who Jesus was by the behaviour of the church or they stashed a grievance inside themselves over a situation God allowed to happen which they found impossible to handle.

I love how God consistently rescues us on the regular from caving into the danger of temptation which turns us into strangers and enemies of HIm as well as protecting us from those horrific ordeals which wouldn’t affect our morality but would cripple our independence or render damage to our physical bodies or mental capacity.

david’s mention of chariots and horses causes echoes to reverberate in my mind of Miriam’s song of triumph over the plans of the devil to keep the Israelites in slavery to the Egyptians.

praise God they weren’t impeded from living out HIs plans for their destiny even though they were disobedient and complained and the first generation missed out on the blessings of the inheritance that should have been theirs by divine right regardless of the results of attempts at conquest.

it’s true that many nations have attempted to destroy Israel and failed cos God always protects His people.

the same principle applies to us if we believe in Jesus cos He automatically becomes our father and we His kids.

He makes sure that the righteous are not forsaken and His young ones are not begging for bread.

remember that His bread of life is always sustaining us even if we are starving and living in the streets.

remember that He has a beautiful glorious home waiting for us in heaven.

we must be bold in sharing our faith and never compromise on our convictions.

we must live a life of holiness so when the world sees us they see a reflection of Jesus and want that wonderful amazing life for themselves .

if people see the joy Jesus has placed in our hearts and connect it to our choice to follow Jesus even when it’s inconvenient when it’s not the most popular choice, when it actually might cost us our life then transformation of nations will automatically follow in our wake.

just like a stone skimmed across the water creates major ripples across a lake.

God gives success to earthly leaders who are following wholeheartedly in HIs footsteps.

remember prosperity and flourishing mean nothing if you only gain treasure in this world not earn it in the next one by seeing how many souls you can win and how many lives you can impact for God’s kingdom.

we must be relentless in our pursuit of justice and truth.

God I know it’s true that you do answer our cry for help.

you may allow us to be slaughtered like sheep all day long but in the meantime you are working on the hearts and minds of those whose only intention is evil towards us.

you are convicting them of righteousness and judgement.

you will always make sure injustice doesn’t go unpunished.

you vindicate us in the eyes of our oppressors.

you shower us with unmerited favour that doesn’t come about because of anything we have done but simply because of who you are- a merciful generous God who loves to shower HIs blessings upon HIs children 🙂 ❤

selah 

psalm 19

the heavens proclaim the glory of God

the skies display His craftsmanship

day after day they continue to speak

night after night they make Him known

they speak without a sound or word

their voice is never heard

yet their message has gone throughout the earth

and their words to all the world

God has made a home in the heavens for the sun

it burst forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding

it rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race

the sun rises at one end of the heavens

and follows its course to the other end

nothing can hide from its heat

the instructions of the Lord are perfect

reviving the soul

the decrees of the Lord are trustworthy

making wise the simple

the commandments of the Lord are right

bringing joy to the heart

the commands of the Lord are clear

giving insight for living

reverence for the Lord is pure

lasting forever

the laws of the Lord are true

each one is fair

they are more desirable than gold

even the finest gold

they are sweeter than honey

even honey dripping from the comb

they are a warning to your servant

a great reward for those who obey them

how can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?

cleanse me from these hidden faults

keep your servant from deliberate sins

don’t let them control me

then I will be free of guilt

and innocent of great sin

may the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to you

o Lord my rock and my redeemer

selah 🙂

when we look at the beauty of sky and space we can’t help but think of the intelligent designer that composes this entire universe inside HIs head and made it for us to enjoy.

we may think of the sky as a simple thing but who is it that holds up the clouds?

who causes them to hang in the air suspended on nothing?

they are not weightless.

even when they are emptied of raindrops.

they are composed of many different components.

where are the cogs and wheels that keep them in motion?

who moves them on to greener pastures when they are done inhabiting the patch of sky familiar to us?

who is the one that makes the sun shine in the day and the moon glow at night?

who is the one that uses the sun as a tool to help plants vegetables fruits and flowers to grow?

who is the one who uses the sun to provide light heat and energy?

who is the one using the moon as a torch to guide the ships at night and stop them crashing on the rocks in ways the lighthouse keeper can only assist in- or his sometimes modern day electronic assistant/ substitute?

its funny to think of the sky speaking but the message the sky speaks is love of our creator.

scientists have documented there is a humming that the constellations utter far out in space.

that sound is a song of praise to our Lord and king who redeemed our souls with HIs freewill offering of future transforming sacrifice.

we  cannot hear the clouds praising God but in their moving they are giving Him praise .

in Him we live and move and have our being.

it is the same for all living things.

the spirit of God’s handiwork inhabits all created beings.

us humans are the only ones He died for though.

I love david’s analogy of the sun shining brightly being reminiscent of a man proud to finally claim his beautiful blushing bride as his own after a long fight of the heart.

we all know what it is like ( those of us born with a pair of legs or engaged in any kind of sporting chase to the finish line) to be in a race puffing and panting and exhausting yourself and no matter what you know you will place ( or don’t if its a whisker of a split second between you and the next guy or girl winning) you look forward with eager fulfilment to reaching that finish line.

yes it is every runner’s dream to burst that tape and hear the crowd go wild for them.

it is funny to think of the sun rejoicing but we have to understand it does not speak like us.

with the glow of its beautiful shiny rays it gives glory and praise to our amazing God.

david saw wisdom long before the cancer councils warned us that the sun’s rays can penetrate us and effect us even in a cool shady spot.

if anyone has been hiding under a rock and doesn’t know to slip on a shirt slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat when they go outdoors you go do that and save your skin from sizzling itself into agonizing melanoma territory.

you can thank me later jokes 🙂

selah 🙂

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

selah 🙂

I stuck in this king james extract as well as my new living translation version cos our teacher mrs huff made up a song on her guitar about this passage in second grade.

it has stuck with me all the days of my life at least in tune form although my brain is hazy about a few of the lyrics.

obviously honey and gold paints the most memorable word picture in the head of a young prepubescent version of myself as it does in my adult years.

her dad was a missionary in the Philippines.

my dad later heard stories about him handing out lollies to kids over there.

one guy in the huff family aaron was my classmate.

its funny to think of God’s law reviving our soul until we consider that truth by its very nature has the tendency to guide and to heal merely by its being stated and reinforced in our actions.

nothing can drain us of energy more than having no direction in life and seeing no purpose for ourselves.

that’s what God’s teaching can do for us.

if we know what we have to do we won’t have to stress about the  correct path to take.

God has already provided the road map for our lives in His basic instructions before leaving earth.

its true that all men are liars and no one is trustworthy but God.

everybody is capable of possessing great intelligence if they follow God’s instructions wholeheartedly.

the most intelligent choice you can ever make is to choose Jesus above all imitators.

God’s commandments should bring us joy even when we disobey even when they tell us that we are not allowed to possess a perverted form of His intended design for affection if we hope to enter heaven.

He knows what is best for us.

we should take pleasure in doing what pleases Him even when society says that His way is hateful or biased.

yes God hates sin but He loves sinners as evidenced by the kind of people Jesus hung out with- prostitutes, tax collectors, thieves yes even the rich and noble like nicodemas and joseph of arimathea and the hated romans like the centurion who possessed more faith than any Israelis at the time cos he believed that God could heal without seeing the physical evidence in his own situation.

we should base our belief that God can heal on the fact that He has healed people in the past and He will heal in the present and future.

it is His nature to heal.

He is Raphi. – the Lord who heals.

God is clear in HIs instructions to us.

He spells out distinctly the right way to go so there is no pretending that we don’t know what He is talking about.

the sexual and morally unacceptable behaviours mentioned in the old  testament are affirmed in the new testament and confirmed by the new covenant Jesus made instructing us to love God.

there can be no love in the heart that possesses no obedience or submission to God’s supreme authority.

yes it may hurt to choose godliness over wickedness in the here and now but God rewards those who diligently seek HIm.

He knew what it was like to wrestle with pain- that’s why He shed tears of blood in the garden of gethsemane for us.

that’s why He suffered indignity and didn’t punch the lights out of people who denied His deity though He wasn’t a pussycat or a weakling He threw the moneylenders out the temple- He showed that sometimes we have to physically demonstrate our stand against evil- sometimes words are not enough.

but we have to remember when the disciples said Lord should we call down fire from heaven to burn up our enemies He told them you don’t know what spirit you speak of.

He has a spirit of creation not destruction.

it is always His intention to see us displaying His glory to have us share HIs glorious kingdom.

when peter sliced off the servant malchius’ ear Jesus just picked it up off the ground where it had plopped and popped it right back on like it was nothing.

what we see as spectacular and jaw droppingly incredible is an everyday occurrence for HIm.

we should always respect God’s authority and possess holy fear for the fact that He can permit us to be wiped off the face of this planet just as easily as He can bring us into it.

that is why He told us be ye perfect as I am perfect cos He wanted to save us from the consequences of a soul so surrendered to sin that it cant see reason, one that is so debased they will attempt to justify any kind of disgusting action in the name of freedom and looking out for number one.

when our focus is on our heavenly treasure then we are always keeping in mind what brings God pleasure and what breaks His heart and acting accordingly.

we should never try to doubt or second guess God’s law.

He has designed HIs law for our good and benefit.

to go against it is only to invite trouble for ourselves and doom our souls to hell.

I never liked getting my bottom spanked with a wooden spoon as a kid yet alone being pierced over and over by a pitchfork and getting char grilled by satans minions in everlasting torture- no thank you very much.

I’m gonna be joining in with those angels that knew what side their bread was buttered on and be whooping it up with Jesus. 🙂

the love of money is the root of all evil so if we love money more than we respect God we will not understand the logic of this passage that God’s law is more desirable than gold.

but it makes sense if we consider that all the treasure of this world is nothing compared to the riches waiting for us in heaven.

when we get to heaven the most beautiful mound of diamonds will seem like childrens marbles or mushy peas compared to the glorious inheritance He has prepared for us.

no eye has seen nor ear has heard the glory and wonder He has in store for us.

we know that the sweetest kind of honey is royal jelly.

this honey is only fed to the queen to make her fat and strong.

God’s law is more sweeter and more amazing than that.

it is God’s law that keeps the purity of our souls intact if we obey it- if we see how it frees us, how it doesn’t keep us locked in a cell which denies us fun but preserves our lives and protects us from danger such as soul ties binding us to the will of the enemy.

we cannot say on the other side of this life that we weren’t warned about the difference between right and wrong cos God has given each of us a conscience and written eternity on our hearts.

in other words within each of us there is a longing for fulfilment that can only be provided by loving Elohim and living for HIm alone.

I praise God that if  we make an effort to clean ourselves up inside He is able to forgive even those sins we are not consciously aware of committing so He’s got all bases covered.

it’s true that God always provides an alternative option to sinning.

the more you sin though the more you lie to yourself that a sinner is who you are and there is no other way to be.

the more you sin the less you focus on the pain your sin causes God or the danger you are bringing upon yourself running the risk that if you died tomorrow you would wake up in hell rather than heaven.

the more you sin the less you care about what God thinks and the less you want to do what pleases HIm.

the more you sin the less you become aware of HIs sacrifice.

the more you sin habitually and consciously knowing you are doing the wrong thing yet still doing it anyway the less grateful you are for what God did for you on the cross accomplishing your emancipation if you tap into HIs ability to forgive if you but reach out and grasp HIs hand tugging us out of the quagmire of our filthy deeds.

people who sin don’t think all the time that their sin is actually using them like we would use a slave or a robot.

sin is lying to them telling them that they have no mind of their own.

sin tells them they are incapable of making independent choices.

while at the same time encouraging them to celebrate evil sin also kicks them and pricks them and wounds them and condemns them making them feel bad for doing the exact thing it encouraged them to do.

but we do have options.

we always have a choice.

until we quit breathing we always have the chance to pick Jesus and do what pleases HIm.

what a waste of a life that isn’t lived for the glory of God.

what a shameful thing to reach the end of your journey on earth and know that you could have done so much better- you could have got that martyrs crown you could have stored up treasures in heaven and made God proud with almost every one of your actions but you chose to barely slip into heaven with your robes singed.

I aint going out like that my brothers and sisters.

I want to make my heavenly daddy proud of every year every second of my life how about you?

all of us wants to be seen as innocent and to be completely emptied of guilty feelings that make us feel like killing ourselves .

thanks to Jesus we can be washed clean and spotless like new born babies though we are better than them cos we don’t have sin trapped within the d n a of our spirits any longer. 🙂

I know the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart aren’t always acceptable in Gods sight.

in fact if God examined my thoughts right now I know He would find a filthy junkyard up in there but His treasure exists amongst the clutter and trash.

He is redeeming my nature in the ever passing moment.

never give up on yourself.

always be open to the changes God is able to bring about in and through your little significant life. 🙂

God is honest.

you can bank on HIs word.

He is always capable of fulfilling HIs promises .

try to paint this picture in your head to understand redemption.

imagine you are a little piggy destined for the dinner table.

you are squealing in pain when someone comes along as if to buy you

then you see that you are the one trotting off free and you squeal in disgust and delight for a different reason cos you see that He is the one going under the knife for your sake.

He has made the old switcheroo especially for you.

now why is that?

can you love like that?

can you love a creature that calls you stranger and enemy , a being and species that despises you and takes you for granted?

I think for us humans its impossible yet never for Jesus ❤ 

psalm 18

I love you Lord

you are my strength

the Lord is my rock my fortress and my saviour

my God is my rock in whom I find protection

He is my shield the power that saves me and my place of safety

I called on the Lord who is worthy of praise

and He saved me from my enemies

the ropes of death entangled me

floods of destruction swept over me

the grave wrapped its ropes around me

death laid a trap in my path

but in my distress I cried out to the Lord

yes I prayed to my God for help

He heard me from His sanctuary

my cry to Him reached His ears

then the earth quaked and trembled

the foundations of the mountains shook

they quaked because of His anger

smoke poured from His nostrils

fierce flames leaped from His mouth

glowing coals blazed forth from Him

He opened the heavens and came down

dark storm clouds were beneath His feet

mounted on a mighty angelic being He flew

soaring on the wings of the wind

He shrouded Himself in darkness

veiling His approach with dark rain clouds

thick clouds shielded the brightness around Him

and rained down hail and burning coals

the Lord thundered from heaven

the voice of the most high resounded

amid the hail and burning coals

He shot His arrows and scattered His enemies

His lightning flashed and they were greatly confused

then at your command o Lord

at the blast of your breath

the bottom of the sea could be seen

and the foundations of the earth were laid bare

He reached down from heaven and rescued me

He drew me out of deep waters

He rescued me from my powerful enemies

from those who hated me and were too strong for me

they attacked me at a moment when I was in distress

but the Lord supported me

He led me to a place of safety

He rescued me because He delights in me

the Lord rewarded me for doing right

He restored me because of my innocence

for I have kept the ways of the Lord

I have not turned from my God to follow evil

I have followed all His regulations

I have never abandoned His decrees

I am blameless before God

I have kept myself from sin

the Lord rewarded me for doing right

He has seen my innocence

to the faithful you show yourself faithful

to those with integrity you show integrity

to the pure you show yourself pure

but to the wicked you show yourself hostile

you rescue the humble

but you humiliate the proud

you light a lamp for me

the Lord my God lights up my darkness

in your strength I can crush an army

with my God I can scale any wall

God’s way is perfect

all the Lord’s promises prove true

He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection

for who is God except the Lord?

who but our God is a solid rock?

God arms me with strength

and He makes my way perfect

He makes me as surefooted as a deer

enabling me to stand on mountain heights

He trains my hands for battle

He strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow

you have given me your shield of victory

your right hand supports me

your help has made  me great

you have made a wide path for my feet

to keep them from slipping

I chased my enemies and caught them

I did not stop until they were conquered

I struck them down so they could not get up

they fell beneath my feet

you have armed me with strength for the battle

you have subdued my enemies under my feet

you placed my foot on their necks

I have destroyed all who hated me

they called for help but no one came to their rescue

they even cried to the Lord but He refused to answer

I ground them as fine as dust in the wind

I swept them into the gutter like dirt

you gave me victory over my accusers

you appointed me ruler over nations

people I don’t even know now serve me

as soon as they hear of me they submit

foreign nations cringe before me

they all lose their courage

and come trembling from their strongholds

the Lord lives praise to my rock

may the God of my salvation be exalted

He is the God who pays back those who harm me

He subdues the nations under me

and rescues me from my enemies

you hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies

you save me from violent opponents

for this o Lord I will praise you among the nations

I will sing praises to your name

you give great victories to your king

you show unfailing love to your anointed

to david and all his descendants forever

selah 🙂

the little note in front of this psalm in my bible tells me that david wrote this after God rescued him from saul, when he was jealous of his victories.

it really stirred him up when the people of the land sang saul has slain his thousands but david has slain his ten thousands after david and his men won victory over the philistines with God’s help.

saul was afflicted by demons when he brought david to his palace to use worship as a weapon to send them packing in the opposite direction.

God gives us strength when we have no strength in ourselves.

when we are completely depleted of energy God renews our vigour and boosts our resolve to keep walking in morally upright ways even though it isn’t popular and may cost us our lives.

God is a shelter to us.

He is the place we go to hide to find protection from all the evil of this world that tries to infiltrate our spirits.

we must remember that His power is not just a tool to razzle and dazzle us at the spectacular miracles He is capable of but its ultimate purpose is to lead us all to glory land.

we must remember that even when we are surrounded by temptation when we are being tortured when we are enduring horrible situations He always has the power to save us.

sometimes He just chooses to liberate us from the bonds of this life.

what seems like premature death to us is in fact His perfect timing if it’s genuinely His time for us to go to heaven and not a result of believer’s lack of faith in His ability to extend our lives for as long as He possibly wants to even when the doctors have written us off and started planning our funeral arrangements.

God has brought people back to life when they were in comas.

nothing is impossible for HIm.

we see war and poverty and sickness all around us destroying lives and robbing people of their futures.

both of these are the result of human greed which is born out of our sin nature.

when we choose to follow Jesus we walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

we can allow death to trap us in a deep dark well of doubt or we can use it as a catalyst to force us to consider the seriousness of our need to save as many souls as possible before we die and also to make us realize how badly we need to do what pleases God cos none of us are promised tomorrow.

God is the ultimate cure to our stress.

we should always turn to HIm as our first port of call never our last resort.

God’s ears are always listening to us.

if we ever doubt for one second that God isn’t powerful we should remember that His anger can make the mountains shake.

for us new covenant people the most significant time when God came to this earth is when He was born in the womb of a woman for the purpose of saving us from the hellish nature that lurks around us and threatens to destroy our salvation.

it’s funny that God should ride on the back of an angelic being.

we know in revelations that Jesus rides on a white horses so maybe this is some kind of celestial spirit horse.

I don’t want to say that for sure though cos we don’t know from scripture although david  could well be seeing all the way into the future.

the brightness around God is of course the warm soul soothing glow of His glory.

God’s voice is loud like thunder.

it can be transmitted from heaven at a tremendous volume but it can also be a soft small voice as the prophet Elijah previously experienced ( 1 kings 19:11-13).

God doesn’t want any of us to be His enemies but we make ourselves His enemies when we refuse to walk in His will, when we make a mockery of His grace, when we refuse to listen to His warnings, like in the days of noah when they mocked as noah built his boat because it took years for the flood to come but eventually it did come.

God loves everyone but we have to remember that He hates sin and He wants us to do what pleases Him not just because it makes Him happy or because He created some arbitrary rules that have no relevance or purpose for every day life but because He designed those rules for our benefit cos He knew what disobeying HIm would eventually do to destroy all hope of our glorious future in His kingdom.

I love the demonstration of God’s power and authority that He can literally command the sea to empty itself and the very core of the earth to expose itself to the elements with a single breath.

we must remember that God is our rescuer so we shouldn’t worry about when people mistreat us for the sake of the gospel or any other reason  cos He has a way of vindicating us in the eyes of our oppressors and making sure justice is done.

He will take revenge for us in ways that we are not able to do ourselves cos we lack the strength and the foreknowledge He has of what those who despitefully use us plan for their next move.

it thrills me to bits to know that God delights in me.

I always want to be full of joy and excited when I open up God’s word.

it should be like a cave of wonders filled with treasure to me that always has something new and fresh to offer.

there is limitless inspiration to be found in God’s  word.

it boosts my spirit to think that we are capable of putting a smile on God’s face.

we should remember that HIm being pleased with us is a privilege and not a right.

yes when we were made as humans God told Himself that He did good but ever since we first fell from grace God has been working on a plan to redeem us, not that He hasn’t already designed the blueprint but in the form of the second adam aka His son He was able to bring it into reality.

God cant restore us as long as we remain proud of being guilty, as long as we fail to deal with all of the filthy deeds we have done, as long as we let them fester in us there is no way that our pestering for Him to help us in our struggles will result in His favour being shown to us cos it’s directly connected to a life of obedience.

our innocence before Christ is determined both by our physical actions and the continual mental warfare we engage in with our thought life.

we must always follow good and never evil even when evil is extremely tempting we must remind ourselves of the consequences of abandoning our God and no longer permitting HIm to guide our conscience which becomes numb and useless unless we tap into His wisdom and align it with our decision making.

when we are walking in a state of forgiveness God chooses to be an amnesiac about our sins.

He does not continually remind us of them.

He helps us live out our identity as freed captives.

the only thing that holds us captive now is our fascination with His majesty.

if we want God to be faithful to us we have to be faithful to Him in return.

if we don’t have humility we are sure to be humiliated by God.

the moon lights the darkness but I think david is referring to fuel for the spirit when he talks of how God provides light for his sake.

God only looks hostile to those who try and change the bible to fit their sinful lifestyle instead of permitting it to cause their loyalties to be switched from caring about nothing or a false deity to embracing everything that encompasses the  completeness we find when we cherish the love of Christ above all human flesh.

God is perfect.

He always knows what’s best for  us.

may we all know this is true without being forced to endure the end result of caving in to the poisoned candy embedded within everything the world has to offer.

there is no other God but Yahweh.

this is a rhetorical question david is asking.

He knows that Elohim is the one true God.

He is making a statement of adoration in acknowledgement of the victory Jesus has won over hell and death.

Jesus is the source of all our strength.

all beings in the universe draw their strength from Him and He is an unlimited powerhouse of cosmic energy but more than that He is a living organism who we can have a personal relationship with.

God helps us face difficulty with confidence knowing that He is the one keeping us upright, fuelling our  spirits with whatever it takes to get the message through that Jesus is Lord.

although it’s God’s will that none should perish and He does whatever He can to avoid bloodshed He chooses not to mess with permitting the souls of humans to eradicate each other.

any greatness we may achieve in this life is only made possible through Jehovah God.

I don’t want to destroy those who hate me but I do want to turn them into friends.

it’s not true what david said that God refused to answer the prayers of his enemies.

He just chose to answer their petition the way He wanted – yes refusal is an answer and His silence can mean delay without meaning denial but in the case of His enemies prospering over His precious children He will not permit their victory.

I pray that God will help us all to be deaf to the accusations of the enemy and only tune into His voice that He loves us and He wants us to serve Him wholeheartedly and yes He recognises that we slip up and make mistakes but He always wants to redeem and restore us and purify our hearts so they look like HIs and He can only see beauty and no ugliness in us.

yes He still looks at us with loving eyes when He recognizes the ugliness of sin in us but in that moment He is acting as the greatest physician and seeing our need for His soul surgery.

He may ask us to give up people or things that are precious to us for the sake of HIs place remaining on the throne of our hearts.

He will not be usurped or replaced and He will not be mocked.

we exalt God by being honouring to HIm in our conversations in the locations we visit , in how much credit we give Him for His miracle working power at work in our lives and in how we should continual fervent passion for His redemption.

we must be careful not to harm Christians cos God will take revenge and strike us down when we least expect it.

we must always be known as people who seek to bring out God’s best in everyone around us.

I love how God pulls us out the way of our enemies so they can’t even come close to us.

I don’t praise God often enough for all that He’s done for me and I never will be able to adequately express my gratitude for the deliverance He has obtained for me through His blood over the fires of hell and the continual attempts at onslaught by the enemy in my life.

He has given us authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the powers of the enemy.

God turns our violent opponents into peaceful joy drenched lovers of HIm.

He flips their nature like paul from  those who are determined to destroy God’s children to those willing to die for the cause of preserving and expanding the freedom we have in Christ and the opportunity for every sinner to become a winner when they come to Jesus voluntarily in a spirit of repentance.

I love how God’s love never fails us.

I love how HIs anointing rests on our lives.

we become part of the blessed inheritance of favour that was bestowed upon david by God because we are grafted into the vine of HIm through the blood of HIs son.

we are co-heirs with Christ able to take part in the fulfilment of His promise.

He has made us a chosen generation and a royal priesthood.

in HIm there is neither jew nor greek slave nor free.

cultural identity is embraced in the heart of Christ yet what matters more than its distinctiveness is the sheer amazingness of what God has done for us.

if we focus on how much He loves us and how crucial the time we are living in is, how desperately the souls of this world are crying out for fulfilment then we will have no room in our lives for pointless disputes and petty jealousies.

we must always make Christ our chief focus.

keep running that race of life with your eyes on your heavenly prize knowing that your daddy in heaven is proud of you and you will finish this race well with your head held high and a sparkle in your eye from the glow of His glory shining bright out of your completely transformed life. ❤ 

 

 

 

psalm 17

o Lord hear my plea for justice

listen to my cry for help

pay attention to my prayer

for it comes from honest lips

declare me innocent

for you see those who do right

you have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night

you have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong

I am determined not to sin in what I say

I have followed your commands

which keep me from following cruel and evil people

my steps have stayed on your path

I have not wavered from following you

I am praying to you because I know you will answer o God

bend down and listen as I pray

show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways

by your mighty power you rescue those who seek refuge from their enemies

guard me as you would guard your own eyes

hide me in the shadow of your wings

protect me from wicked people who attack me

from murderous enemies who surround me

they are without pity

listen to their boasting

they track me down and surround me

watching for the chance to throw me to the ground

they are like hungry lions eager to tear me apart

like young lions hiding in ambush

arise o Lord

stand against them and bring them to their knees

rescue me from the wicked with your sword

by the power of you hand o Lord

destroy those who look to this world for their reward

but satisfy the hunger of your treasured ones

may their children have plenty

leaving an inheritance for their descendants

because I am righteous I will see you

when I awake I will see you face to face and be satisfied

🙂 selah

my lips are not always honest .

I would be lying if I said I never lied.

God answering our prayers isn’t dependent on our hearts or minds of integrity but depends solely upon HIs willingness to be generous and we know for a fact that He chooses to shower favour on the righteous and wicked alike.

the only favour He cannot bestow on us as a nonchristian is salvation for that can only be obtained by repenting of our sins and living a lifestyle of holiness.

I want God to see me as innocent.

I want HIm to see me as clean, pure and blameless and completely free from the chains of sin.

I don’t want to be like a dog continually returning to the vomit of my old sinful lifestyle.

I wish I could say God never finds anything wrong in me but it’s not true.

He can see a whole lot that’s wrong with me.

I am impatient I fly into a rage at the drop of a hat , I am a slave to lust, pride , fear and doubt.

I judge people with incorrect judgements.

I continually do things I know are annoying.

I deny the existence of options.

I choose to suppress the knowledge that Jesus has always provided a way of escape for me in every turbulent situation.

I don’t want to see women as sex objects or only value them for their physical attributes rather than their character or personality.

I know I have flirted with women in the past.

I don’t want that kind of behaviour to be part of my present or future.

I know it’s a sin to lie so I need to be an honest man and not make promises I don’t intend to keep.

sometimes this problem simply arises cos I have a problem with saying no to anyone I love or care about.

I don’t want to be rude so I don’t refuse their petition even if I have no intention or ability to follow through.

more often than not it’s the latter that’s the case rather than the former.

I don’t want to be a cruel and evil person.

I know I am capable of cruel and evil thoughts but the less often I hang around people who think this way the less likely I am to emulate them.

bad company corrupts good character..

I try to think kind and good thoughts towards everyone even those who treat me like an enemy or who act cold hearted and distant towards me.

I choose to praise the Lord for keeping my friends in my life rather than waste a lifetime of teardrops lamenting over someone drifting away from me because of my own stupid obsessive compulsive behaviour.

I haven’t always stayed on God’s path and I have wandered from following HIm but He has never quit trying to lead me and guide me.

He has never stopped attempting to convince and persuade me that He is real and succeeding through the amount of times I thought my friendship was going down the toilet and He kept it alive. praise the Lord. 🙂

I used to think if Jesus didn’t answer my prayers in the way I wanted that He wasn’t answering at all but His answer can be yes, no or later.

His silence does not mean His disapproval.

His silence does not mean a no.

a dream deferred doesn’t have to be a dream denied if we trust in the word of the one who breathed us to life and formed us with His own hands.

I love the way God motivates people to find refuge for battered women to keep them from being bashed up.

the jews used to have cities of refuge where people who had murdered others could hide away from those who intended for good reason to seek to take revenge on behalf of their relative who was slain against the perpetrator of that crime.

the best way God rescues us is by continually reminding us that He will never leave or forsake us, He will never quit loving us.

He pulls our thoughts out the well of despair.

He reminds us that in HIm we have a hope and a future.

yes we can be in a stressful situation, we can even be in a situation where we are being tortured physically yet God can cause our spirit to grow wings and fly away from our current set of circumstances.

that’s what it means to truly own His joy.

His way of escape relates both to freedom from temptation and deliverance from continual pain.

I love the fact that God is always taking care of us looking after us, putting people and things across our path to remind us of His love and to warn us on how to avoid walking out of His will which we wouldn’t want to do if we truly recognized the extent that He suffered on the cross for us.

our automatic response should be gratitude and determination not to walk in disobedience.

we all want to take care of our eyes cos if we damage them they are incredibly expensive to replace and even the most effective glass eye in the world is still not as well suited to us as the pair God gave us in the first place.

this passage is reminding us of how precious we are to God.

He handles us with care and delicacy.

sometimes He has to hurt our feelings in order to reveal His mysteries in our lives.

whenever we experience pain He is using it as a prelude to the pleasure we will revel in when His kingdom comes.

even on this earth God can use our situation to bring about physical evidence we can hold in our hands, tangible reminders of HIs love for us.

as Christians we are called to believe without seeing.

if we keep on trusting in Christ we will eventually see the fulfilment of HIs promises.

we cannot see how God is working behind the scenes all the time, we just have to trust that He knows what’s best for us and make sure we are doing what pleases Him instead of just pleasing the selfish nature of the people we used to be who we were supposed to leave dead in the water when we got baptized but on the low some of  us keep returning back to the identity we left behind because we don’t know any other way to be ourselves- as much as we long to flesh out our fantasies of being a person everyone gets along with , we live in a fallen world which is capable of sinning , a result of this is our capacity to endure and bring tension and disharmony into being .

I praise God I have not yet been surrounded by people who want to murder me even though I have had my head bashed against another brother in Christ cos we refused to listen when the friends of a guy who said he was the devil was yelling off his head at us threatening to bash our heads together if we didn’t stop talking about Jesus.

I praise God for all the evil He has protected me from experiencing.

I don’t want to be a pitiless or boastful person.

Lord make me compassionate .

give me opportunities to share your love with people and let stinginess never become a part of who I am in any shape or form.

there are some people who want to crucify Christians for opposing homosexual marriage.

they falsely  compare us to Nazism when Nazis were open proponents of homosexuality while opposing it in other areas.

Christ loves everybody and He loves them enough not to leave them stinking in their sin.

He always helps us find an alternative to giving up on ourselves and denying our identity in HIm .

it’s the worst when you are raised in a home environment where everyone under your roof serves the Lord and you still want to push HIm away .

when a lion is about to attack he isn’t the noisiest lion.

he is in fact the quietest.

he needs to be silent to sneak up on his prey.

we must be on our guard against others vicious words and actions.

I don’t have any enemies I want God to kill on my behalf.

God has a way of punishing those who determine to do evil against us who believe in His son and have submitted totally to HIs will.

the sword david is referring to is the sword of the spirit aka the word of God.

what david is talking about seems almost inevitable that those who look to the world for their reward will be destroyed.

the world may make our pockets full of coins but they may as well be pockets full of stones if we think we can buy our way into heaven cos Gods kingdom doesn’t work like that.

when we trust in material things we are setting ourselves up for our own personal Armageddon.

I know people looking to the world for their reward are probably not thinking about eternity all that much but we should be people who think about the future and whether we will end up in heaven or hell instead of leaving it to chance and burning in unceasing torture as a result.

its beautiful and heart touching to think that God treasures us and sees value in us even when we don’t see it in ourselves.

firstly I want children.

secondly I never want them to go hungry even for a minute.

I know first I need a woman cos I can’t make a baby on my own.

also I need Jesus cos through HIm all things are possible. ❤

seeing God definitely depends on righteousness cos in the old testament no one could look on the face of God and live.

I want my future kids to be so comfortable financially that they never have to worry where their next meal is coming from for a single solid day.

I can’t wait to see Jesus face to face when I die.

it’s gonna be so amazing just to lay my eyes upon HIs glorious visage.

its gonna be more beautiful and more joy inducing than any other experience of my life.

keep on trusting God even when your heart is broken even when you’re hurting deep inside from the way that others have treated you or reeling from guilt, hating yourself for not doing things differently, for causing pain to the one you love rather than always aiming to bring them smiles and chase away their tears and frowns.

we must run away from the worldly mindset that says that everything is good for you when we know some things do us damage in the spirit realm.

God gave all of us a conscience so I don’t need to tell you the difference between right and wrong.

the Holy Spirit will convince you of your need to stick Jesus in the driver’s seat of your destiny.

if you don’t know Jesus already please get to know HIm because He is definitely worth knowing.

He helps me through all my battles .

He helps me look on the bright side of life.

He uses my friends to encourage me so I can remain HIs faithful sheep 🙂 

 

psalm 16

keep me safe O God

for I have come to you for refuge

I said to the Lord you are my master

every good thing I have comes from you

the godly people in the land

are my truest heroes

I take pleasure in them

troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods

I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood

or even speak the names of their gods

Lord you alone are my inheritance my cup of blessing

you guard all that is mine

the land you have given me is a pleasant land

what a marvellous inheritance

I will bless the Lord who guides me

even at night my heart instructs me

I know the Lord is always with me

I will not be shaken for He is right beside me

no wonder my heart is glad and I rejoice

my body rests in safety

for you will not leave my soul among the dead

or allow your holy one to rot in the grave

you will show me the way of life

granting me the joy of your presence

and the pleasures of living with you forever

selah 🙂

I am not always aware of my need for God’s provision of safety and refuge but in truth even when I appear to be in no physical danger I am constantly in spiritual danger for the devil is like a roaring lion prowling around seeking whom he may devour.

I call God my master but I do not always submit to His authority which is the proof that I recognize His role in my life as commander and captain of the armies of heaven and ruler over my heart and mind.

godly people haven’t always been my heroes but they definitely should be.

Christians have increasingly played a heroic role in my life particularly those who are prepared to lay down their lives for Jesus, those who have given up everything to go and serve the Lord as missionary workers, those who have lost their jobs for standing up for righteousness, those who weren’t afraid to be locked in jail for speaking the truth, those whose houses have been burned down and they still keep on praising the Lord.

my Christian friends in Nigeria are my heroes right now.

they are facing continual attacks from muslim Fulani herdsmen who are killing women and children and the powers that be in government authority are doing nothing.

we as Christians must play our little part to speak out and stand up against evil wherever we see it.

there is never an excuse to kill innocent women and children.

yes I know there are women recruited as soldiers and child soldiers but these are exceptions rather than the rule and I will always advocate shooting to maim or stunning before killing.

we must try our best to build bridges not burn them.

it’s true that the biggest trouble someone can bring upon themselves is to serve the wrong god.

there is only one God worth serving His name is Yeshua and HIs name is holy and glorious.

the reference to blood sacrifice may be referring to animals slain on the altar but also very likely included babies being killed and eaten in sacrifice to false idols.

I wouldn’t go so far as to never speak the names of idols but we must remember never to use their names in a form of reverence.

we must never inadvertently give them worship by giving them too much focus or attention.

it is a wonderful thing to think that if we believe in Jesus our heart and soul belongs to HIm and all the blessings of His kingdom- all the riches that lie beyond the pearly gates and some measure of power and authority lower than HIs throne belong to us by divine right when we are adopted into Christ’s royal family thanks to the living sacrifice of His precious blood.

it is wonderful to think that God guards us and watches over us so we don’t have to worry about the future cos we know He is taking care of us everywhere we go.

we are HIs precious little lambs ever kept safe and secure in the hands of the greatest shepherd who ever lived who continually looks out for the welfare of His human flock. 🙂

david was referring to the blessing of the land God had given HIs people Israel but his reference to land can also point towards our heavenly inheritance which is far greater and grander a real estate than any we can possibly imagine here on earth.

for example the tree of life will be there.

we know from revelations that its leaves are used for the healing of the nations.

God is blessed when we give HIm praises and praise HIm by doing things that please HIm.

it’s funny to think that even subconsciously God is having a little conversation with our spirits and instructing us in how to live our lives, preparing us for the coming day.

yes while we rest God is engaged in active warfare over our imagination protecting it from the attacks of the enemy.

let us always be aware of God’s abiding presence.

let us not permit fear and despair to overwhelm us and take us over.

we cannot afford to stay down and defeated.

God only knows how much time we’ve got remaining before the clock runs out for us.

I must remember that I always have a reason to celebrate because of the heavenly prize waiting for me beyond this life.

it’s awesome to think that when we die we are not separated from God if we are believers but He is right there besides us, we are nestled in the safety of His presence.

we are sitting secured safe and sound like little chicks in a nest that will never be broken.

when david talks about the holy one he could be making a reference simultaneously to those who believe in Jesus who are protected from the fires of hell by choosing to repent of their sins and believe in HIm as well as referring to the fact that Jesus rose from the grave and could not be kept held down by it, but in fact removed its sting and removed the fear factor associated with death for all who believe in HIm who choose to do what pleases HIm over what pleases themselves.

I praise you Lord for life and hope and promises fulfilled are always to be found in you alone.

we should find the greatest amount of excitement from telling people about Jesus and spending time praising and worshipping HIm .

it is a tremendous feeling knowing everything Christ has saved us from, knowing the horrible future we could have had if we never knew HIm and being fully aware of what is waiting for us when we die.

its gonna be so beautiful seeing all my dead relatives who believed in Jesus , seeing all those heroes of the faith who gave their lives so we can read the bible in our own languages.

but most of all I will be thrilled to bits to see Jesus.

I will be just so happy to be in His presence that nothing else will matter.

the pain of this life wont matter in the slightest.

the suffering I experience in the present will be water off a ducks back for me.

it will be completely gone and forgotten.

washed away in the glow of HIs glory.

I will just be jumping for joy happy to be HIs boy happy in the fact that He always loves me that He has always been there for me watching over me even at my most rotten corpse like state, even when I rejected HIm and hated on Him in my heart by despising His authority and making a mockery of HIs grace.

oh how wonderful it will be not to be able to displease Him anymore but only to be capable of doing what puts a smile on HIs face.

that is heavens greatest gift to us- to be stripped of the ability to sin.

to know that we can live out fully the purpose we were designed for.

while we remain in this body there is a war that rages within us between the spirit and the flesh.

oh Lord I thank you for your strength that helps us to slay the dragon when he lurks around us threatening to pull us away from your joy and peace.

thank you Lord for all my friends and family.

please watch over them and let them join me in the promised land. amen ❤