Live in reverence of God

Psalm 27New King James Version (NKJV)

An Exuberant Declaration of Faith
A Psalm of David.

27 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.
4 One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.
14 Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!

This can't be stressed enough. We are not made to live in fear. We are made to live in reverence of the Almighty YahWeh.  Stand boldly in faith, be patient in it, and never sell out the the enemy!  Fear is a tool of destruction, don't allow it into your life, your home, your church, school, anywhere!  Stand up and walk boldly in Christ, our eternal Saviour! Let nothing, family, friends, life, circumstances, principalities, and so on, stop you from living in and outwardly reflecting the image of Christ!

Path to Righteousness

[ BOOK ONE: Psalms 1—41 ] [ The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly ] Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.

Psalm 1:1-2 NKJV

Following the law of the Lord will lead us to righteousness! Following the law and the wisdom and the knowledge of man will only further our demise.  Becoming a student of the Word, becoming a disciple of Christ will lead to eternal fellowship with God. Amen

Sanctif them by Your word

John 17

17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Jesus asks that the Disciples be sanctified, or set apart.  This word also means to make Holy.  Why did he pray this? What does it mean for us as believers?

He prayed this on behalf of His Disciples. For us believers, then and now.  We are sanctified because we actively choose to follow Christ daily and allow His will to be done in and through us.  Luke 9:23-30 says

Take Up the Cross and Follow Him
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,[a] and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”

To take up your cross daily and follow Him and His will is what allows our sanctification. Put the worldly things behind you, and follow Christ. Doing so will gain you a spot in eternity with the Father.  By knowing and obeying His word, plus sharing the good news, we are set apart.

A Lamp into my Feet

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

Psalm 119:105 NKJV

The Word of God is the Light that shall direct our paths. If we dwell in the Light of the Word, the evil cannot reside in our hearts.  To dwell in the Light of God means to become students of His Word, live, eat, breathe His Word.  Life may not be easy in the Light of God, but as Christ said:

Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV)

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”. 

Matthew 28:20 (NKJV)

20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

That is reason enough for me to run, without hesitation to the Light. How about you?

The camel and the needle

Matthew 19:23-25New King James Version (NKJV)

With God All Things Are Possible
23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”

Many of us could read too much into this portion of Scripture. We could conclude that God won't allow rich or monetarily wealth folks into the gates of Heaven. This is not so.  For proof read the book of Job.

He was a wealthy man.  His wealth did not hinder him from praising God and being loyal to Him. When the devil approaches God at the start of the story, God says try My servant Job.  To identify him as His servant means that Job is a trustful and honored soldier for God.  Wow, what an honor right, but how would this translate today?

First, look at the context of the times when this was written.  Many of the wealthy oppressed the poor. They enslaved the poor, cheated them out of their fair wages, jailed the poor for literally anything the rich saw fit, and worse. The story of Ananias and Sapphira further backs this point in their deceitful plot to cheat the Holy Spirit. Many of financial upper class society were not viewed as favorable. 

Fast forward to now. Many of the tyrannical acts of the wealthy of old are religiously repeated by the wealthy today. Many are more concerned about building and keeping wealth that they can't take with them in the next lifetime.  So much so, that many wealthy people try stop death itself, but this is not true for all.

Many of the wealthy folks today give money in philanthropic causes. Some are brave enough to get their hands dirty and physically help the poor themselves. Instead of looking down upon them from their mansions and cars, they willingly stand beside them Luke a true sibling or friend in Christ to support them. It is not wealth that causes a person to get to or be kept out of Heaven, its the means by which wealth is obtained, maintained, and if being wealthy is placed above God and His will.  The folks who do right by God, like Job, I feel, would enter into the gates of Heaven. 

Lord, as we all progress in or walks with you, please let not any hatred to those who are "rich" that cheerfully and willingly give to help the poor materialize.  Please Jesus, teach us how to love them, not for their wallet, but to model their willingness to give, and their cheerfulness to do so. Teach us that it matters not how much, but that we give for Your name sake. AMEN.

Delight in the Commandments of the Lord

Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, Yet Your commandments are my delights.

Psalm 119:143 NKJV

Delight in God no matter the circumstances.  Praise is what we do! When we get to Heaven, we will praise Jehovah continuously.  We must do the same here and now.  It is easy to praise we life is going our way. But, YahWeh demands us to praise even more when life seemingly turns against us. Jesus prayed to the Almighty in the garden before His betrayal. But, he equally praised Him in that hour.  WE HAVE TO DO THE SAME!  when our backs are against the wall, praise God! Don't rely on our mediocre knowledge and wisdom. Praise, seek, and listen to the Omniscient Father. He will deliver you.  If H brings you to a place in time that is inconvenient for you or me, WAIT!  Praise Him anyway you can! Amen

Delight in the Commandments of the Lord

Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, Yet Your commandments are my delights.

Psalm 119:143 NKJV

Delight in God no matter the circumstances.  Praise is what we do! When we get to Heaven, we will praise Jehovah continuously.  We must do the same here and now.  It is easy to praise we life is going our way. But, YahWeh demands us to praise even more when life seemingly turns against us. Jesus prayed to the Almighty in the garden before His betrayal. But, he equally praised Him in that hour.  WE HAVE TO DO THE SAME!  when our backs are against the wall, praise God! Don't rely on our mediocre knowledge and wisdom. Praise, seek, and listen to the Omniscient Father. He will deliver you.  If H brings you to a place in time that is inconvenient for you or me, WAIT!  Praise Him anyway you can! Amen

Christ's Suffering

[ Christ’s Suffering and Ours ] For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,

1 Peter 3:18 NKJV

The human race is so diluted with sin, greed, and self, that we could never again make a sufficient offering that is pleasing to God. Thus, Christ dying a sinner's death while He Himself was sinless, became the ultimate and purest sacrifice.  Honor God, do our very best to live right, keep Christ in our hearts, and put Jehovah above EVERYTHING, and our Spirit will reside with Christ forever! Amen.

Time with God

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18New King James Version (NKJV)

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

How many of us focus on remaining in a prayerful state of mind throughout the day?  I would guess not many. With all of life's distractions, we'd say, it's impossible to pray without stopping all day.  Something I learn at a retreat two years ago: P.U.S.H.  Pray Until Something Happens. Be persistent and consistent in prayer. Carve out time in our daily lives that is solely for you and Christ.

During these times, praise God for His generous love and blessings. But, lift up all concerns and frustrations as well. Prayers is our means of communication with Jehovah Jirah.  It would behoove us all to make time for YahWeh. Not doing so will almost assuredly lead to doom!

Pray as often as we wholeheartedly can! Amen!