God's Word on That

  • Let Us Worship Our God

    If God is goodness and beauty and truth and love, I’d do better by reminding myself of this each day, so I’ll look for these things in life around me.

    Things which are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, if they be of good report or have good virtue or are praiseworthy, I will think on these things (Philippians 4:8).

    The heart of religion isn’t the beliefs or creed, or the way of life – morality.  It is the worship.  And the heart of worship is the sacrifice. Whatever we do must be done in awesomeness that it is done before and for Him.

    Father God, I worship You in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). I will trust the Lord my God and sincerely worship Him. I will think often of all the tremendous things He has done for me (1 Samuel 12:24).

    I am of a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a “peculiar” person belonging to God, that I may declare the praises of Him who called me out of my darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). I will praise the name of my wondrous God who has dealt wondrously with me (Joel 2:26).

    I thank my God and praise Him because I am a new creation — His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10) Help me to praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful; I know this full well (Psalm 139:14).

    You, O God, turn my wailing into dancing. You remove my sackcloth and clothe me with joy that my heart may sing to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give You thanks and praise forever (Psalm 30:11-12).

    As humans, we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment. From experience you know this to be true.

    Lord God, I praise You with my whole heart that whenever the wicked man forsakes his ways and the evil man his thoughts and turns to You, You will have mercy on him, for You will freely pardon (Isaiah 55:7). Thank You, my God, that no matter how I’ve been enslaved, You can set me free (Romans 6:19).

    O my Strength, I will sing praises to You for You are my stronghold, my defense, the God who shows me loving-kindness (Psalm 59:17). I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth (Psalm 34:1).

    I do not grieve [pout or feel depressed], for the joy of the Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10). The Lord is my strength and my song. He has become my salvation [in all things]; He is my God and I will praise Him; my Father-God and I will exalt Him. (Exodus 15:2).

    God gets nothing out of our worship – He is who He is with or without us.  But in worshiping Him we find out who we are.  God transforms us into a certain kind of people as we worship – and this is truly a gift beyond compare.

    Let us shower Him with our praises.

    Father, my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips (Psalm 63:5). I will sing to the Lord a new song for He has done marvelous things (Psalm 98:1). Since my youth, O God, You have taught me, and today I will declare Your marvelous deeds (Psalm 71:17). It is good to praise the Lord and make music to Your name, O Most High; to proclaim Your love in the morning and Your faithfulness every night (Psalm 92:1-2). You are my God; I will exalt You. I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things — even purposes planned of old [and now fulfilled] in faithfulness and truth (Isaiah 25:1). Let men everywhere give thanks to the Lord for His faithful love and His wonderful works for the human race (Psalm 107:8, 31).

    I will rejoice before the Lord my God in everything I put my hands to (Deuteronomy 12:18). I will rejoice always; I will pray without ceasing, and in everything I will give thanks, for this is God’s will for me (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). I will praise and give thanks to You, O loving God of the Cosmos, — in all ways, on all days, regardless of my circumstances — continually, for I walk by faith in Your love.

    I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart. I will glorify Your name forever (Psalm 86:12). I will praise Your name in song and glorify You with thanksgiving (Psalm 69:30). I will celebrate Your abundant goodness, O God, and joyfully sing of Your righteousness (Psalm 145:7). For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done. I will sing for joy at the work of Your hands (Psalm 92:4).

    Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You, O Lord my Redeemer. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods, and with singing lips my mouth will praise You. (Psalm 63:3-5)

    You, Father, faithful Lord, are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. You, my loving Lord, are good to all; You have compassion on all You have made. All You have made will praise You, O Lord; Let Your saints extol You. (Psalm 145:8-10)

  • Spirit is Life

    Life is a vapor. Anything to help us see this fact will make us wiser.

    There is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body… The spiritual did not come first but the natural and after that the spiritual (1 Corinthians 15:44, 46).

    The spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing (John 6:63). No one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the spirit… the Spirit gives birth to spirit (John 3:5-6).

    The whole point of our journey is to awaken the spirit within us. The Spirit is indwelling (He wants to move in) and filling (He wants to be in control) — it is a continuous discipline.

    It is God who has made us… and has given us His Spirit as a deposit (2 Corinthians 5:5). The Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6), and God gives the Spirit without limit (John 3:34).

    We have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit (Romans 7:6}. The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:6), for the Spirit helps us in our weakness (Romans 8:26).

    The most important is the spiritual, and everything spiritual is of the Will. Nothing happens automatically in the spirit life.

    We speak in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words… for they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:13-14). It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth (1 John 5:6).

    The Holy Spirit lives in us (2 Timothy 1:14) because You received the Spirit of son-ship (Romans 8:15), a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7). Do not put out the Spirit’s fire (1 Thessalonians 5:19).

    I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better (Ephesians 1:13, 17). We have access to the Father by that one Spirit (Ephesians 2:18). In Him you are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit (Ephesians 2:22). I pray He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being (Ephesians 3:16). So be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).

    The Spirit revives and refreshes. Let us not quench His power over us.

  • Love is Our Law

    The foundation of growing in wisdom is to recognize God as the source of wisdom and obeying His laws as the path to wisdom. But remember, God’s Old Covenant Law is a mirror not a ladder. It shows us our sin and opens the door to grace.

    No one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by observing the law; rather through the law we become conscious of sin (Romans 3:20). When you judge the law, you are not keeping it (James 4:11).

    What does guilt imply if not that we know right from wrong and aspire to be better than we are?

    A righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known (Romans 3:20-21). All are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24). Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17). It is for freedom [from the Old Covenant Law] that Christ has set us free (Galatians 5:1).

    Jesus = the perfect standard of what is right.

    A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34).

    The man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does (James 1:25). You have been set free from sin and have now become slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:18).

    A lot of church members who sing “Standing on the Promises” are just sitting on the premises. We are the ministers/priests for God to non-believers; we are to speak truth, walk blamelessly, and follow His covenant.

    Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment! (James 2:12-13).

    What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). If you really keep the “royal” law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right (James 2:8).

    When we make a conscious decision to do what God says, we will begin to see people in a new perspective. Obedience unlocks God’s power.

    We are called to a new law – to shine forth His love.

    Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2). Do everything in love (1 Corinthians 16:14). By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)

  • Trust Blindly

    Trust blindly, because God promised, “I will bring the blind by a way they do not know”.

    Father God, I ask You to lead me when I am blind along ways I have not known; along unfamiliar paths please guide me. Lord, turn the darkness into light before me and make the rough places smooth. I pray these are the things You will do; yet I know You will not forsake me (Isaiah 42:16). I will be still and know You are God. You, O Lord Almighty, are with me; You, O God of Jacob, are my Fortress (Psalm 46:10-11).

    By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and got up and went, even though he did not know where he was going (Hebrews 11:8). Lord, help me to be willing to follow You in obedience even when I’m not sure where we are heading.

    When I said, “my foot is slipping,” Your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul (Psalm 94:18-19). When I was in great need, You saved me. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you (Psalm 116:6-7). I will rejoice and be glad in Your love, O my God, for You saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. You have not handed me over to the enemy, but have set my feet in a spacious place (Psalm 31:7-8).

    Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You, O Lord, preserve my life. You stretch out Your hand against the anger of my foes; with Your right hand You save me. You, my Lord God, will fulfill Your purpose for me. Your Love, O Lord, endures forever — You will not abandon the work of Your hands (Psalm 138:7-8).

    When you come to the edge of all the light you have known and are about to step out into the darkness, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: there will be something to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly. Wake up saying “Yes, Lord” then watch during the day to discover God’s question for the day’s journey.

    God Father, Your Word tells me to humble myself under Your mighty hand, that You may lift me up in due time. O Loving Father, I cast all my cares and anxieties and worries of the day on You because You care for me (1 Peter 5:6-7). I cast my cares on the Lord and He sustains me; He will never let the righteous be moved (Psalm 55:22).

    It doesn’t matter if we can discern the path, we are just to trust and follow God’s leading.

  • No Need For Worry

    Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles but today of its strengths. Fear is faith in the enemy’s abilities! We live our lives not simply according to what we know, but what we really believe. How we walk with our feet of clay on the hot pavement of life evidences what we truly believe.

    Please swell my soul with belief and help me trust emphatically in Your deliverance, O God my Savior (Psalm 78:18-22). Do not be far from me, O Lord my Champion, for trouble is near and there is no one to help (Psalm 22:11). I sometimes feel others conspire against me and the enemy plots to take my life. But I trust in You, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hands (Psalm 31:13-16).

    Some say that to worry is to sin, since God told us not to worry. The fact is that worry doesn’t add any time to your lifespan, or boost your health, or increase your popularity. There really is no good that comes from worry. Yet how hard it is to let go of the controls and not worry about any outcomes. We are told to sit back and enjoy the ride while God drives us home.

    Help me, Lord Jesus, to take Your yolk upon me and to learn from You; for You are gentle and humble in heart, and I will find rest for my soul in You (Matthew 11:29). Lord God, I have the assurance of Your Word that You, the Great God of All Grace, who Yourself has called me to Your eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after I have suffered a little while, will Yourself restore me and make me strong, firm and steadfast (1 Peter 5:10). You, O Lord, love me with an everlasting love; You have drawn me with loving-kindness (Jeremiah 31:3).

    How great is Your goodness, O Lord, which You have stored up for those who fear You; which You bestow in the sight of all men on those who take refuge in You (Psalm 31: 19). The Lord has come to rescue me from the hand of my enemy, and to enable me to serve my Lord without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all my days (Luke 1:74-75).

    Now, just as I trusted Christ Jesus to save me, I can trust Him also for each day’s problems; I choose to live in vital union with Him. I can let my roots grow down into Him and draw up nourishment from Him.

    I let the peace of Christ Jesus rule in my heart, since as a member of His body I was called to peace (Colossians 3:15) and I refuse to worry about anything.

    Lord God, help me to remember You when I go to bed (Psalm 63:6). Occupy my thoughts through the watches of the night, because when my mind is on You I don’t worry about other things.

    I refuse to worry about anything. God is on my side. God is in me now. Who can be against me and win? (Romans 8:31)

    No matter what storm we are in, God is always with us to see us through it.

  • Failure Is Not Final

    In his weakness man is not able to sustain any relationship without eventually needing to forgive and be forgiven. Failing doesn’t make us failures; it makes us experienced.

    My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my spirit (Psalm 73:26).

    Failure is the line of least persistence. Good judgment usually comes from experience.  Unfortunately, experience usually comes from bad judgment. Yet that is all we are – the sum of our experiences. Time, talent, treasures — all these are entrusted to us with the expectation of getting them back improved upon.

    Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail (Lamentations 3:22). Strengthen me according to Your Word (Psalm 119:28) O Lord, for Your promises preserve my life (Psalm 119:50). You are my stronghold, my defense, the God who shows me loving-kindness (Psalm 59:17).

    Dismiss feelings of frustration – 90 percent of it is rooted in self-pity and always interferes with positive action. Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape.

    I earnestly pray that I walk worthy of You, my Lord God, fully pleasing You and desiring to please You in all things, and being fruitful in every good work. I aim to increase my knowledge of You, loving God. And so I pray that I am being strengthened with all power according to Your glorious might, that I may have great endurance and patience (Colossians 1:10-11).

    I love You, O Lord, my strength! You are my [unmoving] Rock, my [surrounding] fortress, and my [ever-present] deliverer. You, O God, are my rock in whom I take refuge [from all weariness]. You are my shield [from all unpleasantness] and the horn of my salvation [from all difficulties], my [glorious] stronghold (Psalm 18:1-2). I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation… I can do everything though Him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:12-13).

    Father God, help us to be the best we can at this moment.

    May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).

    We all fail, but God strengthens and lifts us back up.

  • Love Expresses Itself

    God is love, and it is the nature of love to express itself. True love is treating others as God would. God is a God of relationships. He prioritizes love over labor.

    I say: Don’t resist violence! If you are slapped on one cheek, turn the other too. If you are ordered to court, and your shirt is taken from you give your coat too (Matthew 5:39-40). I say: Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way you will be acting as true sons of your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:44-45).

    God knows how to raise, train, and guide His children. All He needs is a cooperative child. If we stay in the light, we are stronger for it, and the world around us is blessed.

    If someone mistreats you because you are a Christian, don’t curse him; pray that God will bless him (Romans 12:14). When we are cursed, we bless (1 Corinthians 4:12).

    Jesus maintained that the proper way to keep any commandment was to fulfill the purpose for which it was given.

    Everything – all – no matter what we say; no matter what we do – it is to be offered as a gift to God with Jesus’ name, power, and honor attached. It is the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ Jesus that must be the springboard for everything we do.

    So whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through [and for] Him (Colossians 3:17).

    We are to let His love shine through us onto everything we do.

  • Judge Not

    A pearl lost in mud is not less valuable; a pearl coated with balsam is not more valuable. We have our value from our Father, and how and where we live cannot change it. (Sayings of Yeshua)

    The qualification for judging is not knowledge; we all possess that in some degree and can grow in knowledge as we set our minds to that task.  But the qualification for judging is achievement in goodness, and none of us is perfect there. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, for what is essential is invisible to the eye.

    We do not focus on what is seen but on what is unseen; for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). Stop judging by mere appearances (John 7:24).

    No condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). So who are you to criticize your brother? (Romans 14:10) Let us no longer criticize one another, but instead decide not to put a stumbling block or pitfall in your brother’s way (Romans 14:13).

    Seek God’s wisdom that you be slow to condemn and quick to show compassion. Try not to focus on blame or justice or retribution, but on future life-affirming options. Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man’s growth without destroying his roots.

    Therefore encourage one another and build each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up (Romans 15:2).

    “I don’t hate my enemies.  After all, I made them!” (Red Skelton) Be forgiving, for most people are doing the best they can. Be kind to unkind people because they need it most. And be kinder than necessary to everyone you meet, because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

    Let us not judge others, for we are all like hobos in line at the same soup kitchen.

  • Little Things Matter

    God Said, “I, the Lord, have called you into righteousness. I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the gentiles; to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from their prisons, and to release from their dungeons those who sit in darkness” (Isaiah 42:6-7). Therefore I must do what I can with what I have to be a healer, a caregiver, and a messenger of hope.

    Jesus said to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the leper, and cast out demons — to give as freely as I have received (Matthew 10:8). The more I pay attention to fixing the small piece of world I see each day, the more I see what needs to be fixed in my world each day.

    A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough (Galatians 5:9). Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much (Luke 16:10).

    We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, for God regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.

    Every moment and every event of every man’s life on earth plants something in his soul. So consider each day as a gift; and use each to your full ability. For who knows when we will no longer be able to do so. Jesus came to set the earth on fire, and He wants to use you as His kindling.

    It doesn’t matter how little we think we are, we were chosen to influence our sphere of the world.

  • Making Wise the Simple

    Simplicity influences all things including outward manners… Then even your faults will turn to good, humbling you without depressing you. When God intends to make use of you for His glory, either He will take away your failings or overrule them to His own ends.

    I am simply discharging the trust committed to me (1 Corinthians 9:17)

    Act on whatever God may make known to you. Accept whatever may seem strange to you. Anxiety comes from not sufficiently accepting whatever happens as coming from God. From the moment you give up all self-will, and seek absolutely nothing but what God wills, you will be free from all your anxiety.

    Be content with doing well what little depends upon you. Let yourself be humbled. Calmness and silence under humiliation are of great benefit to the soul! Do not get angry about what people say. Let them talk while you try to do God’s will. You must be friendly without counting on their friendship. Only see God’s hand in what they do. He wounds and comforts us by using them. [You truly only have one enemy.]

    Simply let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’, and your ‘no’, ‘no’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one (Matthew 5:37).

    The consolation of knowing that we are where we are by God’s providence is quite inexhaustible! While we have that, nothing can matter. Blessed are they who throw themselves headlong and blindfolded into the arms of “the Father of all Compassion and the God of all Comfort”. Nothing remains for them, except to know Him better and better.