David wrote this Psalm while in the desert…and sometimes we travel through our own desert. Those periods of dryness, when everything seems empty, parched and withered…those times when God seems so far away. But be encouraged…God’s showers are coming! Showers of blessings flowing down and filling your soul with living water. Your emptiness will be filled, and because of those abundant blessings, new life will spring forth from within.
Tag: promises of god
Joshua 24:31 ” Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who out lived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.”
Moses had mentored Joshua as his successor…but Joshua had failed to do the same…and as a result, the next generation after Joshua’s death succumbed to idolatry. God’s people are always just one generation away from turning their backs on everything their parents and grandparents believed in. Todays Church needs to be focusing on young people…drawing them in, encouraging, and disciplining them, for they will be the ones carrying the Word of God on in the future.
Genesis 4:9 ” Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ ‘I don’t know,’ he replied. ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ “
From the first time that question was uttered by Cain, to today, we must all be accountable to God for our fellow-man. If we see someone flailing in the water…we help. If we see someone drowning in sin…we need to go to their aid as well. We can never become an island unto ourselves…for God commands us to love and protect one another, just as He loves and protects us.
Isaiah 30:15 ” This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.’ “
God really does know best, and always has our best interest in mind. But we sometimes think we know better. Exodus 14:14 is an excellent example of what the Lord is trying to tell us in the verse…”The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Our strength is derived from hope and obedience, not sheer force and brute determination.
Ecclesiastes 1:2 ” ‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!’ “
King Solomon had spent his life searching after the pleasures of this world. And as he became older and wiser, he realized that he was just chasing after fleeting fantasies. There is and will never be peace and joy in the pursuit of the empty things of this world. All temporal things will disappear in a cloud of smoke… for they are empty and futile in the view of eternal life.
Lamentations 3: 55-57 ” I called on Your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: ‘Do not close Your ears to my cry for relief.’ You came near when I called You, and You said, ‘Do not fear.’ “
I sit… shrouded by the darkest depths of the mire, for I know Lord, I am living with the despair of bad choices I have made…and choices I had no control over. So I cry out to You for deliverance, for I believe that You will not only hear, but also draw close and comfort me. Because I put my trust in You… I know I can face all my fears.
Ephesians 6: 14-15 ” Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”
The first piece of equipment the Roman soldier put on was his belt…and the first thing every morning, we too need to be equipping ourselves with the truth from the Word of God. The only way we will ever be able to withstand the barrage of the enemy is with Truth. The breastplate was then hooked onto the belt… covering the vital organs, especially the heart. When we’re in right relationship, or right standing with God, our heart is protected from the flaming darts of the enemy. Finally, some historians credit the footwear of the Roman army as one of the greatest reasons why they were so victorious. Their shoes had spikes in the soles enabling them to maintain tremendous stance and balance whatever the terrain. When you know who you are in Christ and have that confidence…your “spiked soul ” enables you to stand firm and unmoved by the enemy threats and lies.
Ephesians 6:12 ” For our strength is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
It’s the age-old battle of good versus evil…but the battle isn’t against our fellow-man, but against what initiates the evil within us. The armor of God isn’t made for battles with man. Rather, its strength and protection is for battles from forces so powerful that without it we would be completely defenseless. It’s made for battles far beyond what we can comprehend…and battles that come from deep within.
Psalm 116: 8-9 ” For You O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.”
Living according to the Will of God brings life, peace, and harmony within our soul. Even when the tough times come, we can run and hide in His sanctuary until the storm passes over. Thank You Lord for rescuing me and giving me new life. Thank You for that haven of hope and safety I can rest in during those times of turmoil and strife.
Genesis 8:22 ” As long as the earth endures, seed time and harvest, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”
Just as we have biological rhythms…the earth has its cycles. Day circles into night, which circles back to day. The bitter cold of Winter gives way to Spring, which moves into the heat of Summer, which beautifully makes it way into Fall, and then back to Winter again. The Lord is saying that as long as the earth continues to rotate in the universe, these cycles will not end.
Safetypinlove 