Author: admin

Giving thanks to God is not reserved to church on Sundays. It is an activity that is always appropriate for one of God’s redeemed creatures.

Our problem is that we tend to think that thanking God should be done when circumstances in our life are pleasant. Yet, often it is in the depths of our struggles that praising and thanking God is most timely.

Praising God is not dependent upon our circumstances. It depends on our choice. Will we choose to praise God in our current situation? At times our greatest moments of praise occur when our situation appears most dire. We can praise Him because we know that God has written the end of our story. We are confident that no matter how bleak things may appear at the moment, God will ultimately bring victory. God has proven Himself so faithful to us in the past that when we face our next trial, we know we can, and should praise Him. Even in our darkest moment we are confident He will surely deliver us once again.

Are you presently facing a pleasant or challenging circumstance? Regardless, are you singing His praises?

God has a plethora of means to protect you from harm. He has myriads of angels who are constantly serving him and intervening in the affairs of men. His powerful hand is active and involved in world events. He has servants located throughout the world He can mobilize on His behalf should He need their services. When God protects you, He has numerous tools to draw upon.

Yet one of God’s most effective instruments to use on your behalf is His truth. God’s word is a shield as well as a sword when placed in the hand of one of His servants. Jesus withstood Satan’s most devious temptations by wielding the truth of God’s word. Christians throughout the ages have been victorious against mankind’s cruelest assaults when they clung to God’s truth. People have issued threats and spread lies, yet God’s truth has always cut through them like a hot knife through butter. There is a divine truth that disarms every lie of hell. There is a divine truth that can set free anyone who finds himself in bondage. God’s truth is eternal. It does not change and it loses none of its potency through the ages.

Are you shielding your life, your family, your work with the truth of almighty God?

The most powerful, invincible fortress on the planet will benefit you not a mite if you choose to remain outside its walls. A fortress is a place to which you flee in times of trouble. Its walls and provisions are designed to sustain and protect you from whatever enemy seeks to harm you. Within its walls, the enemy may rage and hurl its fiery darts, yet the thick walls and looming parapets shield you from harm.

There is no more secure stronghold in the universe than God’s presence! When He covers your life, not even Satan or his demonic hordes can touch you. The most devious plots of people and the most sinister plans of your enemies will be ineffectual as long as you cling to God.

Tragically, we tend to stray away from God, our Protector. When the enemy arrows are fired at us, we are nowhere near the protective walls of our divine fortress. If we do not abide in Him, then God’s provision profits us not at all. Take a moment to get your bearings. Are you presently abiding securely within the powerful arms of your Lord? You can’t afford to wander away from Him in a time as dangerous as this.

The world can be a challenging place to live and work. Enemies can strike you at a moment you least suspect. Critics, naysayers, gossips may all be making your life miserable. There are also temptations and problems that drain your soul. Health concerns abound. Financial needs seem to be constant. All of these personal issues must also be faced in the context of national and international crises that occur at an epidemic rate. With so much bad news occurring regularly, it can seem daunting even to leave our house in the morning.

Yet for the child of God, there is a secret place we can go that enables us to face the tempest that might be swirling all around us. It is found in the shadow of God’s “wings.” We must draw near to God until we are close to Him. There we find shelter from the storms of life. In that place, no evil can harm us. Though wicked people may scheme and threaten and pursue their evil purposes, yet when we abide in God’s shadow, we find safety.

If you have been buffeted by the troubles and evil that surrounds your life, you may need to hurriedly make your way to the safety of God’s presence. For in that place, the winds may howl, the rain might fall, and the forces of darkness may threaten, but you will experience a sublime peace that surpasses your understanding.

Do you need to hasten to the place of quiet and rest for your soul?

If there is one truth you can always take to the bank it is this: it is always good for you to draw near to God!

We have an innate tendency to pull away from God. It can happen imperceptibly. We don’t even know we are doing it. Our demanding schedule or numerous problems and pressures or temptations all tend to draw us away from God. One day we are startled to discover that we are now far from Him.

At other times we fall away dramatically. Perhaps it is because of a spectacular act of disobedience. Maybe we fall to a temptation. We know in that instant that we are now walking far from God. In some cases our fall is gradual; at other times it is sudden. But either way, we find ourselves far from God.

That is why the psalmist declared that it was good for him to draw near. Drawing near is not something God does for us. He may woo us and draw us, but we are the ones who must take that first step.

Are you walking as closely with God as you ought? Or, is it time for you to draw near?

Scripture says much about our heart. Our heart drives our life. It can be tempted and turned aside. It can also be divided and torn between two objects of our love. It is also desperately wicked and unknowable. To make matters worse, our heart can grow weak.

The psalmist recognized that if his heart were to remain strong, God would have to strengthen it. When our heart is weak, we are susceptible to all manner of temptations and discouragements. But when our heart is strong, we can withstand any onslaught.

Our heart grows weak through neglect. If we do not regularly tend to it, it can be easily distracted. Likewise, when we fill it with “junk food,” it loses its strength. We cannot expect to be careless with our heart and yet have it remain in robust health. That is why the Bible offers so many warnings and instruction concerning it.

God created our heart. He understands how to maintain it in optimum condition. He knows what adjustments are necessary. How does God need to strengthen your heart?

While this statement sounds poetic and inspirational, it can also be extremely convicting.

Sadly, there can be many things and people that we want on earth, besides God. We can become so consumed with gaining the favor and attention of others that we fail to desire the one Person above all else who can meet our every need. We can kill ourselves to please our boss, or gain more “likes” or “friends” or “followers” in our social media, that we neglect our pursuit of almighty God. At the end of the day we may have gained the admiration of people but failed to cultivate our walk with God.

The psalmist had come to enjoy his relationship with God so much that every other relationship appeared, in comparison, to be of no value. Once he had fully enjoyed God, every other relationship paled in comparison.

While we might voice these words of the psalmist, do we really mean it? Have we found such pleasure in our walk with God that He is now meeting every need in our life?

There is no reason for us to fend for ourselves. God is always prepared to guide us into the center of His will.

Though God is almighty and the Creator if the universe, He often relates to us as a consultant. That is, He will not force is to do His will. He will not pressure us into conforming to His ways. But He will offer us truth, through His word.

God, of course, is a phenomenal counselor. His advice is entirely trustworthy. His counsel is pure and undefiled by self-interest. And, He knows the future! No one can guide you into the days ahead a He can!

However, the down side of offering counsel is that we can foolishly choose to ignore it. We can arrogantly assume that we have no need of it or that our reasoning is superior to His. God’s counsel is available to us, but whether we will make full use of it or not is another matter.

The world will loudly claim that its ways are best. It will flaunt those who seemingly have disregarded God’s word and yet experienced success and prosperity. The media is filled with stories of those who are enjoying the best that the world has to offer. The airwaves are filled with deceptive and misleading messages.

If you want to know the truth of your circumstances, or the situation in the world around you, you need to go to God. In an instant, God can open your understanding so you recognize the truth.

The psalmist had begun to believe the world’s advertising. Then he went to the to sanctuary of God. Away from the noise and mayhem of daily life, he finally saw the truth. He experienced a spiritual breakthrough. Everything became clear. The psalmist might have continued going to work each day for weeks or months longer and never have seen the truth. But as he pulled away into the sanctuary, he was finally in a position for God to help him see the truth. Truth sets you free.

Do you need a fresh spiritual breakthrough in your life?

At times we can be one step away from a major catastrophe. One more step and we will stumble headlong into failure. We can unknowingly approach the edge of a crevasse.

We don’t intend to stumble. We aren’t looking for problems. But we get busy, and distracted. Our focus is everywhere else but on our Lord. It may be that He has tried to warn us of impending danger, but we missed His signals. He may have alerted us through His word or through our friends, but we did not take the warnings seriously. Until we almost stumbled.

Suddenly we begin to fall. We are alarmed at the crisis we narrowly miss. We were unprepared and it almost cost us severely.

The psalmist found himself envying the wicked. Suddenly his focus was turned from God to the wicked who were wealthy. Envy filled his heart. He began to discount God’s word. The psalmist might never have believed that he could be enticed by the words and lifestyle of the wicked. Such a temptation caught him unprepared.

Have you been guarding your heart so you are not vulnerable to the next temptation that surely is coming?