Standout verses: Psalm 119: 18, 23&24, 27, 32-38 “Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things from Your law. (v.23) But your servant meditates on Your statutes. Your testimonies are also my delight and my counselors. (v.27) Teach me Your statutes, make me understand the ways of Your precepts; so shall I meditate on Your wonderful works. (v.32) I shall run the course of Your commandments, for You shall enlarge my heart. Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes and I shall keep it to the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep your law; indeed I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it. Incline my heart to Your testimonies and not to covetousness. Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way. Establish Your word to Your servant, who is devoted to fearing You.” In these verses, the psalmist is declaring his love and passion for God’s word and truth. He is proclaiming his desire to know the Lord in a deeper, more intimate way that requires the ACTION of pouring into His word – studying it, learning it, spending time in it. This kind of heart is one that is after God’s own heart – a heart that is fully His, a whole-hearted devotion that stems from a desire to know Him.
Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you”. The psalmist is a great example to us of someone who is actually doing that. He is fully confident in the promises of God - that all other things will be taken care of and provided for by his Father whom he is fully devoted to.
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Standout verse: II Samuel 3:1 “Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.” This transition of power happened over a period of many years. David was faithful and was in no rush to take what was not yet his. God had not yet given him the kingdom even though He had promised it to him. David knew God’s promises to him, but was willing to wait on God’s timing and simply walk faithfully through the preparation process no matter how long it took. If we haven’t yet been released into what God has promised over our lives, we are simply not ready to walk into that season. GOD HASN’T FORGOTTEN US, HE IS GETTING US READY FOR IT; WE ARE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF BEING PREPARED. This way of thinking frees us from the need to try and make God’s promises over us come to pass according to our own timetable. That will only bring stress and striving as opposed to peaceful confidence in the Lord. So, as long as we are in the preparation stage, let’s faithfully embrace it and rest in God’s perfect timing!
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Standout Verse:
John13: 14-15
“If I then, your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.”
It’s easy to get caught up in the “fast food”, American Idol culture we live in. It’s so easy to become “ME-centric” and preoccupied with self, living as if the world revolves around us. That is completely opposite to the way God calls us to live.
The greatest commandments are these: LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, SOUL, MIND AND STRENGTH and LOVE YOU NEIGHBOR AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF. As Christians, this is our calling. Jesus demonstrated this when He washed His disciples feet. He wanted to set a clear example that we should not only love others, we should put that love into action. We become what we practice and as we continue serving others, we break out of our “cocoons of self”.
“Just as the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many”- Matthew 20:28
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John 12: 42-43
“Never-the-less, even among the rulers, many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees, they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the praise of men MORE than the praise of God.”
Although it’s nice to get a pat on the back from time to time for the things we are doing, THE PRAISE OF MAN SHOULD NEVER BECOME A NEED. Knowing we are hearing from the Lord and doing the things He is calling us to should be enough to keep us fired up and fueled. Unhealthy reliance on the praises of man will slow us down and hinder the purity of what we’ve been called to do.
There is a major difference between being teachable and seeking counsel (which are both wonderfully essential aspects of living, learning and maturing) and developing an unhealthy reliance on man’s praise/opinion. A good measuring stick for healthy balance is being able to identify the source of our affirmation/dependence (God or man) and then adjust our hearts accordingly.
When we are primarily listening for the voices of man’s praise it will drown out the voice of the Lord and we will be in danger of getting off track. People’s opinions and praise can be fickle, but the Lord’s affirmation is steadfast and sure – something we can stand on!
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1 Samuel 30:6
“But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God”.
In this part of David's story things were looking terrible. His entire family as well as the families of his fighting men had been carried off by the Amalekites. They blamed David for the tragic circumstances and turned against him, ready to stone him.
David had choice to either focus on the circumstances surrounding what had happened and enter in to defensive arguments with his men, OR focus on the Lord and cry out to Him for help. He chose the later - he strengthened himself in the Lord, asked for a clear word as to what he should do and then set about to do it.
He took time to stir himself in the Lord even in the face of heartache, accusation and being physically tired. The result was that he didn't get caught up in the self-defense game but instead contended for what was his and was able to recover everything just as the Lord had said he would.
Sometimes we need to simply speak the truth to ourselves and allow the Lord to fire us up so we can go about His business without getting caught up or discouraged in the swirling details. The TRUTH is this: If our hearts and lives are surrendered to Him, THERE IS NO SITUATION WE WILL FACE THAT IS TOO DIFFICULT FOR GOD. HE CAN BRING US THROUGH ANY TRIAL, HEARTACHE OR DIFFICULTY AS WE LOOK TO HIM, CRY OUT TO HIM AND OPEN OUR HEARTS TO HIS STRENGTH AND STRATEGIES! That’s what our God specializes in – we can put unwavering faith in His ways!
Note: This is NOT about the power of positive confession. What David did (and what we need to get consistent in doing) is speaking the TRUTH to situations that look bleak because WE ARE A PEOPLE OF FAITH AND NOT FEAR. We must learn to strengthen ourselves in the Lord especially in times when the enemy is attempting to destroy us, which lets face it, is all the time.
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