Author: admin

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?

We generally like to take comfort in the fact that God loves us and is intent on providing for our needs. But the psalmist was well aware that God was not obligated to do so. He owes us nothing. He has His standards. God is always good, but He does not bless indiscriminately.

One of the most sobering realities is that God blesses us based on what He finds in our heart. We desperately want to believe that we fool Him with outward appearances just as we think we mislead others. We hope that God somehow overlooks our shortcomings and sins, as if He chose to use a lesser standard for us than He applies to others. But that is wishful thinking.

God looks to our heart before He dispenses a blessing. The single greatest thing we can do to ensure our well-being is to guard our heart.

We can be confident that God is good. We cannot be as sure of our own heart.

Sometimes we pray casually. Our mind wanders and we even have trouble staying focused on the God of the universe, with Whom we’re speaking. Yet there are other times when our prayers carry a sense of desperation. We know how urgently we need God to intervene on our behalf. We cannot afford to be left out in the lobby waiting for an appointment! We must rush in to His holy presence immediately in order to consult with our Lord. In those urgent moments, we need to know that He is listening to our every prayer and is already marshaling His resources to deliver us.

“Hear me speedily” is an interesting phrase! How do you “hear” speedily? Of course, for God to hear is for God to act. We can have no doubt that when God hears; He responds. However, Scripture is clear that there may be times when God turns His face away from us. Because of our sin, God can refuse to listen to our plea. That can be a terrifying predicament. For if God is not listening, then He is not intervening. There is no more desperate place to be than in a position where God is not listening to our prayers.

That is why the psalmist did not take for granted that God would hear him. He pled that God would hear him “speedily.” The psalmist could not afford to be found out of favor with his King.

How speedily does God hear your prayers?