Psalms 112 Fear and Love

Psalm 112 Excerpts

¹ Praise the Lord.

Blessed are those who fear the Lord……….

⁷ They will have no fear of bad news;
   Their hearts are steadfast,

Trusting in the Lord. ………

Their hearts are secure; They will have no fear……..
…….. But the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

What are you afraid of?

Put a different way………

What carries weight in your life?

Or……

What do you take seriously?

Personally, I have a great fear of……..

Failure…..

Embarrassment…….

Being seen as weak…….

Not being taken seriously……..

By  mere men.

I have wasted a great deal of energy in this life worrying.

Worrying over…….

Fearful of……….

What men would think of me.

It has paralyzed me at times…….

I wonder if it’s even possible to Love men

As long as we……..

Fear men.

Dominated by a fear of men,

Our longings will come to nothing.

Ah……. but Living from a fear of God-

God who is Good,

God who Loves me,

God who is able to do more than I can ask or imagine…..

Living from the Power and Love of The One who lives in me and through me……

Oh, living from that place……

Yes, Living from that place where we no longer fear men….

Yes, Living from the fear of God......... maybe……

Just maybe……..

We can truly Love men.

Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit,

Move deeply  in me today to live from a fear of You

To live from the weight of Your Glory

So that I am empowered to Love the people You bring my way.

Amen

Psalm 111 Redemption.... I Wonder......

Psalm 111:9

He provided redemption for His people….

Redemption-

Being bought back…….

Bought back  from………

Slavery.

Slavery to Sin

And

Separation

and

Death.

Redemption-

Being purchased…….

Purchased, and then……….

Set free.

Set Free by the very Blood of Christ.

Oh, the wonder of it all………….

That I might be…………

Be Loved this way!

There are some who believe…..

This redemption points to our great worth-

That Father would  love us so much that……….

That He would give………..

The Life of His Son.

Others don’t think that’s it at all-

They are quick to say He has not loved us because of our great worth….

No instead, it is quite the opposite………..

We have great worth because He loves us.

I wonder…………

Psalm 111:9

……He ordained His Covenant forever-

Holy and Awesome is His Name.

Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit,

Thank You.

Amen

Psalm 110 Are you Willing?

Psalm 110:3

Your people will be willing

On Your day of battle.

Could it be?

Could it be that today…….

Today is the Day of Battle?

I promise you all,

Our enemy knows it is.

He lives this brief time

To make war on God’s people;

To wreak havoc on all that is……

Living and Good and True.

Revelation 12:12

…….But woe to the earth and sea,

Because the devil has gone down to you!

He is filled with fury,

Because he knows that his time is brief.

I do not write this to scare you-

I do not write this to heighten drama-

I write this…….

I bring this up…….

To call you into the battle.

Are you willing?

This Christian Life is not some game we play,

Manipulating our way with God to get what we please.

Oh no, there is much more at stake…….

There is much more to this great story God has ………

Written us into.

Are you willing on this day of battle?

Will you take up the arms of……..

Love

Kindness

Courage

Mercy

Forgiveness

Prayer

Generosity

Faith……….

Oh Christian,

Let’s go out today,

Today and tomorrow and evermore,

Living from the Power and Truth that……..

Christ is in us,

To Live through us,

To bring………

Life!

Are you willing?

Almighty Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit,

Open Our eyes to the truth.

Move in our hearts to join the battle.

Thank You Almighty God for all that You are doing,

All that you will allow us to be a part of,

Even today.

Amen

Psalm 109 Transformative Prayer

Psalm 109:4b

…..but I am a man of prayer.

Are we?

Are we living………..

Are we living in vital, powerful, continual prayer?

Are we seeking the Heart of God……..

In all things?

Do I consciously invite Jesus into every……….

Conversation

Action

Thought

Feeling

Dream………

David was said to be a man after God’s own Heart,

And yet he was certainly not a perfect man….

Far from it…….

An adulterer,

A deceiver,

Even a murderer,

Yet continually, he chased after the Father.

He sinned………..

Like you and me,

But he never turned away from....

The One True God;

No,

He never turned away from………

The Only One,

The Only One Who can give………

Life.

And so Christian,

Let’s become;

Yes, 

You and I,

Let’s become………

Men and Women after God’s own Heart-

Let’s become………..

Men and Women of prayer.......

And so then.........

Allow the Love and Power and Goodness of

God Himself to.........

Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit

I have nowhere else to go.

In all of my existence,

In all of my ways,

In all of my thoughts,

In all of my words,

You alone offer the Life I long for.

All praise honor and glory be to You.

Amen

Psalm 108 Revelation As A Better Way

Psalm 108 (excerpts)

I will sing and make music…

I will praise You…….

With God we will gain the victory…..

“People don’t change until it becomes

Too painful to remain the same”

Or, maybe........

There's a better way........

People can change when…..

They receive a revelation from Father.

A revelation of what life could be………

With Him……. In Him.

Have you?

Have you received a vision from Father?

Have you received a vision of what His Life in you…..

Being lived out through you  might look like?

Have you felt the very Power of God?

Oh Christian, make no mistake……..

He has given the vision-

The question is………….

Will you receive it?

It comes in so many ways- This revelation.

Our desires point to it……..

The Life of Christ displays it.

Love

Courage

Joy

Mercy

Peace

Power

Goodness

Contentment

Adventure

Wonder 

and                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

On and on…………

Receive, my friends

Receive the Father's vision.....

Father

Thank You for the Life You have shown me.

Thank You for the vision You have given me.

I receive it.

I receive it and so with the Psalmist I boldly say

With God I will……….

Amen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy6IU3AzYlY

Psalm 107 Trouble as a Good Thing?

Psalm 107: 6, 13, 19,28

Then they cried to the LORD

In their trouble

And

He delivered them….

I have heard it said,

“People don’t change until it becomes

Too painful to remain the same.”

Pain can be a powerful motivator towards……

Humility.

They cried out in their trouble……

Are you in “trouble” today……..

Suffering……. in need, in pain?

Cry out to the LORD and see…......

See His………..

His Goodness-

His Love-

Maybe even His Power.

James 4:10

Humble yourselves before the LORD

And He will lift you up.

Oh, by the way……

I don’t believe we have to suffer to change.

There is another way………

A better way.

Ah…… but maybe that’s for another day!

Father

Lead me out into the Life You have for me today.

Thank You for all You will do in me and through me.

Amen

Psalm 106 They Did What?

Psalm 106: 13 and 20

But they soon forgot what the LORD had done……..

They exchanged their glory for

The  image of an ox

Which eats grass.

Really?

They did what?

But wait a minute,

Before I go off on those guys,

What about…….

Us?

Do we remember…..

Do we take time to ponder…….

Do we set aside time to intentionally

Go back into………

What the LORD has done for us?

His works of Love,

And Goodness,

And Power……..

In our own lives?

I am  afraid………..

Afraid that if I’m not remembering,

Then maybe I’m forgetting.

It is a dangerous thing.

They forgot……….

They forgot His Love,

They forgot His Goodness,

They forgot His Power.

And so………

They exchanged their glory,

The Glory of God with them……..

For what?

Christian………

Do you remember that you have

The Glory of God with you?

Check that………

Even more than with you……….

Do you know that you have

The Glory of God……….

The very Life of Christ……..

In you……

To pour out through you.

Oh………….the wonder of it.

Father,

I will remember.

Jesus,

Thank You-

For making me a participant in Your…….

 Glory.

Holy Spirit,

Please bring the Life of Christ in me

To my remembrance moment by moment

Today and evermore.

Amen