Psa 55:1 To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David. Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!
Psa 55:2 Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan,
Psa 55:3 because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me.
Psa 55:4 My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
Psa 55:5 Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me.
Psa 55:6 And I say, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest;
Psa 55:7 yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah.
Psa 55:8 I would hurry to find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest."
Psa 55:9 Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues; for I see violence and strife in the city.
Psa 55:10 Day and night they go around it on its walls, and iniquity and trouble are within it;
Psa 55:11 ruin is in its midst; oppression and fraud do not depart from its marketplace.
Psa 55:12 For it is not an enemy who taunts me-- then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me-- then I could hide from him.
Psa 55:13 But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend.
Psa 55:14 We used to take sweet counsel together; within God's house we walked in the throng.
Psa 55:15 Let death steal over them; let them go down to Sheol alive; for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.
Psa 55:16 But I call to God, and the LORD will save me.
Psa 55:17 Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.
Psa 55:18 He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me.
Psa 55:19 God will give ear and humble them, he who is enthroned from of old, Selah, because they do not change and do not fear God.
Psa 55:20 My companion stretched out his hand against his friends; he violated his covenant.
Psa 55:21 His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.
Psa 55:22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Psa 55:23 But you, O God, will cast them down into the pit of destruction; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in you.
I don’t know about you, but this Psalm seems to reflect my life in so many ways. I feel myself sinking, feel the burden of my sin and shame pushing me further and further into the pit of death. I feel that I simply cannot go any farther. Yet, how many times do I forget to just, simply go and call upon the name of my Father? How many times do I think that I can fix it myself. Or worse yet, how many times do I just let it go, and let it build up within me?
It’s so hard to remember that God will help me. God will save me. He will always be at my right hand to help and guide me. Nothing is to hard for Him. I have got to learn that when times are hard, I can’t just turn to wordly things, or turn to nothing at all but sin. I must ask God to put in my heart that passion for Him, for when things get rough to follow Him, go to Him, TRUST in Him. Let us make that our goal this week. Let’s take each hard situation, and simply trust and follow Him.
For any of you that I will be seeing on Sunday, if you want to do this with me, I’d love to hear about it at church. :-)
God bless!
-Your brother in Christ
Monday, May 25, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Integrity......
For all this time that I’ve been sincerely in love with the Psalms I must admit that until this morning I had NEVER read the 101st Psalm! I know.... unbelievable.... Well, it truly struck me, and I ended up simply turning it into a prayer and I will be trying to make this truth as the days go on.
Psa 101:1 A Psalm of David. I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will make music.
Psa 101:2 I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;
Psa 101:3 I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
Psa 101:4 A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.
Psa 101:5 Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure.
Psa 101:6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.
Psa 101:7 No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.
Psa 101:8 Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD.
Isn’t that amazing? I truly believe that this should be our prayer. In this day and age, we need people who would take a prayer like this, and truly take it to heart. May we be a generation of Godly young men and women who would strive for two things and two things only. God, and integrity. For with those two things, the rest will follow.
Psa 101:1 A Psalm of David. I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will make music.
Psa 101:2 I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;
Psa 101:3 I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
Psa 101:4 A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.
Psa 101:5 Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure.
Psa 101:6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.
Psa 101:7 No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.
Psa 101:8 Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD.
Isn’t that amazing? I truly believe that this should be our prayer. In this day and age, we need people who would take a prayer like this, and truly take it to heart. May we be a generation of Godly young men and women who would strive for two things and two things only. God, and integrity. For with those two things, the rest will follow.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Set Me Free......
I get this little story from inspiration really just from God and also Set me free by Casting Crowns--
The young man walked into the family room one blazing afternoon to see his mother working away at her daily duties. “Oh, hello son, it would mean so much to me if you would go get the mail!”
With a sigh he said yes and trudged out of the house. Then he stopped. Thinking to himself, “Wait a pretty little second... This is perfect! Maybe there’ll be another little magazine for me...” His face brightened with an evil grin as he began walking again, “I’ve worm out the other one, and mom never knows when she gets those things anyway.”
As he walked he turned a corner and at the end of the drive saw the mailbox. Living in the country it was quite a distance from the house. “I’ll just stick it half way in my jeans and cover the rest up with my shirt. It’ll be perfect. Last time I had to steal from their room, this’ll be much easier.”
“Stop it son.”
“What? Hello? Who is that?”
No response. He continued down the road, his will still strong. A quarter of the way there now.
“Don’t do it son.”
“Who on earth is that! Come out now, who are you! My dad’s at work stop messing around!”
“I am right next to you. Right here, I’m here to save you.”
“Right, gotcha, save me from what you freak.”
“From yourself.”
“Oh hey, that’s a catchy line, now let’s drop the jokes and stop this ventriloquism or whatever it is.”
“It’s not ventriloquism son.”
The young man thought to himself, “Who is this freak?”
“I am Your God, Your maker, Your creator!” shouted the voice.
“Whoa! Hey! I never said anything! How’d you know I just said that?”
“I am Your God, Your maker, Your creator!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you’ve already said that. But, you can read minds?”
“I can do anything son, I know all.”
“ooohhh, scary, should I hide?” Said the kid with a snear.
“What have I done?” Replied the voice in sadness.
“I thought you knew it all, what ever happened to that?”
“You know, that girl in third grade was pretty, but whatever made you like her?” Asked the voice.
“Holy smokes, how do you know that?!”
“I’ve already said. What about Maurice, what’s so bad about him? Why do you hate him so much?”
“Ok, ok, ok, you’ve made your point, my gosh. Just, buzz off will ya? I’ve got a job to do.”
“I shall not. You are heading in the wrong direction. I am here to save you.”
“Save me. Save me? Save me from what?”
“Your sin.”
“Sin, right, sin. What right have you to save me from anything!”
“I created you, I knew you before the foundations of the world. I brought you to life.”
“Nice, very nice, well you did a bad job of it.” At this moment the young man reached the mailbox, he opened it, grabbed and mail and started looking through it. “Yes! Yes, yes, yes!” It was there, just what he wanted. Just what he had hoped for. As he shut the mailbox and turned around he collapsed to his knees. “What on earth?” He looked up and saw him there, the man, the one who had been talking to him. He didn’t know why he instantly knew it was him, but he just did. He thought to himself, “What have I done?”
“You have brought anguish to your Maker.” Replied the man in front of him.
“You’re... You’re my God aren’t you?” His eyes were opened, he saw the man in front of him, he saw his Maker.
“I am your Lord and Savior in whom you take refuge.”
“What have I done?”He asked again, “Are you the one who can set the captive free?”
“Yes, I can set the captive free.”
“I wanna be free! Set me free!” In an instant the young man felt the shackles fall from his hands, felt the burden fall off his back, he was free. The magazine was gone, his eyes were opened, he was alive.
“Go now, go to your mother, be her true son.”
___________________________________________
Now, this is a pretty lame story, at least, I think so. But that’s hardly the point. The point I’m trying to make to all of you is that God does save us. He’s saved me before. He will come to you and talk to you, and be with you. We must heed His warnings. Come when He calls, and pray for protection. Temptation is an evil thing, it’s a hard thing too. I won’t say if girls or guys struggle with it more, but I will say that I struggle with it immensely. It’s almost one of those things where when I find myself not doing something, I must find something quickly, or I’ll start to fall. It’s in those times though that God will be with us. He will protect us. You’ve got to call upon His name and ask Him to set you free! God will set you free.
-Your brother in Christ
The young man walked into the family room one blazing afternoon to see his mother working away at her daily duties. “Oh, hello son, it would mean so much to me if you would go get the mail!”
With a sigh he said yes and trudged out of the house. Then he stopped. Thinking to himself, “Wait a pretty little second... This is perfect! Maybe there’ll be another little magazine for me...” His face brightened with an evil grin as he began walking again, “I’ve worm out the other one, and mom never knows when she gets those things anyway.”
As he walked he turned a corner and at the end of the drive saw the mailbox. Living in the country it was quite a distance from the house. “I’ll just stick it half way in my jeans and cover the rest up with my shirt. It’ll be perfect. Last time I had to steal from their room, this’ll be much easier.”
“Stop it son.”
“What? Hello? Who is that?”
No response. He continued down the road, his will still strong. A quarter of the way there now.
“Don’t do it son.”
“Who on earth is that! Come out now, who are you! My dad’s at work stop messing around!”
“I am right next to you. Right here, I’m here to save you.”
“Right, gotcha, save me from what you freak.”
“From yourself.”
“Oh hey, that’s a catchy line, now let’s drop the jokes and stop this ventriloquism or whatever it is.”
“It’s not ventriloquism son.”
The young man thought to himself, “Who is this freak?”
“I am Your God, Your maker, Your creator!” shouted the voice.
“Whoa! Hey! I never said anything! How’d you know I just said that?”
“I am Your God, Your maker, Your creator!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you’ve already said that. But, you can read minds?”
“I can do anything son, I know all.”
“ooohhh, scary, should I hide?” Said the kid with a snear.
“What have I done?” Replied the voice in sadness.
“I thought you knew it all, what ever happened to that?”
“You know, that girl in third grade was pretty, but whatever made you like her?” Asked the voice.
“Holy smokes, how do you know that?!”
“I’ve already said. What about Maurice, what’s so bad about him? Why do you hate him so much?”
“Ok, ok, ok, you’ve made your point, my gosh. Just, buzz off will ya? I’ve got a job to do.”
“I shall not. You are heading in the wrong direction. I am here to save you.”
“Save me. Save me? Save me from what?”
“Your sin.”
“Sin, right, sin. What right have you to save me from anything!”
“I created you, I knew you before the foundations of the world. I brought you to life.”
“Nice, very nice, well you did a bad job of it.” At this moment the young man reached the mailbox, he opened it, grabbed and mail and started looking through it. “Yes! Yes, yes, yes!” It was there, just what he wanted. Just what he had hoped for. As he shut the mailbox and turned around he collapsed to his knees. “What on earth?” He looked up and saw him there, the man, the one who had been talking to him. He didn’t know why he instantly knew it was him, but he just did. He thought to himself, “What have I done?”
“You have brought anguish to your Maker.” Replied the man in front of him.
“You’re... You’re my God aren’t you?” His eyes were opened, he saw the man in front of him, he saw his Maker.
“I am your Lord and Savior in whom you take refuge.”
“What have I done?”He asked again, “Are you the one who can set the captive free?”
“Yes, I can set the captive free.”
“I wanna be free! Set me free!” In an instant the young man felt the shackles fall from his hands, felt the burden fall off his back, he was free. The magazine was gone, his eyes were opened, he was alive.
“Go now, go to your mother, be her true son.”
___________________________________________
Now, this is a pretty lame story, at least, I think so. But that’s hardly the point. The point I’m trying to make to all of you is that God does save us. He’s saved me before. He will come to you and talk to you, and be with you. We must heed His warnings. Come when He calls, and pray for protection. Temptation is an evil thing, it’s a hard thing too. I won’t say if girls or guys struggle with it more, but I will say that I struggle with it immensely. It’s almost one of those things where when I find myself not doing something, I must find something quickly, or I’ll start to fall. It’s in those times though that God will be with us. He will protect us. You’ve got to call upon His name and ask Him to set you free! God will set you free.
-Your brother in Christ
Monday, May 18, 2009
Psalm 18......
This morning I woke up and read Psalm 18. It truly spoke to me in an amazing way. I had gone to bed feeling irritated, borderline depressed, and not knowing why. Surprisingly I woke up with a passion to simply start praying for my dear friends. Praying for my family, and finally praying for myself. I did this as I got a glass of water, started waking myself up, then I grabbed my Bible. I went into the living room by the open window and just sat there praying while the intensely refreshing spring air came in from outdoors. It was so amazing. Finally I opened my Bible to the Psalm of the day. Mind you, it is a long one. :-)
18:1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love you, O LORD, my strength.
18:2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
18:3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
18:4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;
18:5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
18:7 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry.
18:8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.
18:9 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.
18:10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
18:11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water.
18:12 Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
18:13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.
18:14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
18:15 Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
18:16 He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.
18:17 He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
18:18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
18:19 He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
18:20 The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
18:21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
18:22 For all his rules were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me.
18:23 I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from my guilt.
18:24 So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
18:25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
18:26 with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
18:27 For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.
18:28 For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness.
18:29 For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
18:30 This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
18:31 For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?--
18:32 the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless.
18:33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.
18:34 He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
18:35 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.
18:36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.
18:37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed.
18:38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet.
18:39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me.
18:40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed.
18:41 They cried for help, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
18:42 I beat them fine as dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
18:43 You delivered me from strife with the people; you made me the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me.
18:44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me; foreigners came cringing to me.
18:45 Foreigners lost heart and came trembling out of their fortresses.
18:46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation--
18:47 the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me,
18:48 who delivered me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you rescued me from the man of violence.
18:49 For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing to your name.
18:50 Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.
I simply find comfort and joy in these fifty verses. As the first verse says David prayed this Psalm after he was saved from the hands of Saul. He is rejoicing in the fact that God spared His life. But, the words are simply so powerful. I love using those words in my own personal prayer time, if I’m feeling weak. “You Lord are my rock and my fortress”. Isn’t it so true? God is our deliverer, our fortress; we can take refuge in His awesome mighty name. He will never let us down.
The entire section of how God came to David is also impacting. He came in darkness, flame coming from His mouth. He seemingly smothered David’s enemies in seconds. Destroyed them completely. This too touched me – “18:25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
18:26 with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
18:27 For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.”
God will watch over us, and be merciful to us, if we are merciful ourselves. He will be there for us in our time of need, if we have faith in Him. Faith like the grain of a mustered seed. We must have faith that moves mountains.
David was a warrior, he wasn’t any wimp of a guy. He was strong, powerful, brave, and a fearsome leader. When he says that God gave him strength to bend a bow of bronze? Yeah, wow, that’s pretty awesome. Then he goes on to tell how God allowed him to thrust down his enemies. But you see who is in it all? God. God is the definer of everything that David is doing. And that’s true! God is the proverbial boss over us. How many of us realize that we’re completely feckless when it comes to life? I surely don’t. I just don’t ever seem to get it. With life so utterly complicated there’s no way that we could possibly wield the power to control it. Why do you think we have God?
I hope and pray that what I have said has touched you in some special way today. May God bless you, and keep you.
-Your brother in Christ
18:1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love you, O LORD, my strength.
18:2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
18:3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
18:4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;
18:5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
18:7 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry.
18:8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.
18:9 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.
18:10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
18:11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water.
18:12 Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
18:13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.
18:14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
18:15 Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
18:16 He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.
18:17 He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
18:18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
18:19 He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
18:20 The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
18:21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
18:22 For all his rules were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me.
18:23 I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from my guilt.
18:24 So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
18:25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
18:26 with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
18:27 For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.
18:28 For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness.
18:29 For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
18:30 This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
18:31 For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?--
18:32 the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless.
18:33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.
18:34 He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
18:35 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.
18:36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.
18:37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed.
18:38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet.
18:39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me.
18:40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed.
18:41 They cried for help, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
18:42 I beat them fine as dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
18:43 You delivered me from strife with the people; you made me the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me.
18:44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me; foreigners came cringing to me.
18:45 Foreigners lost heart and came trembling out of their fortresses.
18:46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation--
18:47 the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me,
18:48 who delivered me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you rescued me from the man of violence.
18:49 For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing to your name.
18:50 Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.
I simply find comfort and joy in these fifty verses. As the first verse says David prayed this Psalm after he was saved from the hands of Saul. He is rejoicing in the fact that God spared His life. But, the words are simply so powerful. I love using those words in my own personal prayer time, if I’m feeling weak. “You Lord are my rock and my fortress”. Isn’t it so true? God is our deliverer, our fortress; we can take refuge in His awesome mighty name. He will never let us down.
The entire section of how God came to David is also impacting. He came in darkness, flame coming from His mouth. He seemingly smothered David’s enemies in seconds. Destroyed them completely. This too touched me – “18:25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
18:26 with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
18:27 For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.”
God will watch over us, and be merciful to us, if we are merciful ourselves. He will be there for us in our time of need, if we have faith in Him. Faith like the grain of a mustered seed. We must have faith that moves mountains.
David was a warrior, he wasn’t any wimp of a guy. He was strong, powerful, brave, and a fearsome leader. When he says that God gave him strength to bend a bow of bronze? Yeah, wow, that’s pretty awesome. Then he goes on to tell how God allowed him to thrust down his enemies. But you see who is in it all? God. God is the definer of everything that David is doing. And that’s true! God is the proverbial boss over us. How many of us realize that we’re completely feckless when it comes to life? I surely don’t. I just don’t ever seem to get it. With life so utterly complicated there’s no way that we could possibly wield the power to control it. Why do you think we have God?
I hope and pray that what I have said has touched you in some special way today. May God bless you, and keep you.
-Your brother in Christ
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Prayer for my friends......
Lord, all I hear is pain, suffering
Agony and tears
Life seems so complicated
It doesn’t seem fair.
I need Your help,
I need Your guidance
This cannot be done on my own
Lord I lift my friends to you
They seem to have an endless amount of sorrow
No happiness or joy
They need You Lord
Please stay by their side
All I can do is pray
Prayer seems so futile
Yet Lord, I know that You will save them
Save them from their pain
I lift these friends to You
I will pray night and day
But You are the only Savior
You will keep them in Your arms
Keep my friends under Your wings
Help them and guide them
Spare them from suffering
And bring them to the light
Agony and tears
Life seems so complicated
It doesn’t seem fair.
I need Your help,
I need Your guidance
This cannot be done on my own
Lord I lift my friends to you
They seem to have an endless amount of sorrow
No happiness or joy
They need You Lord
Please stay by their side
All I can do is pray
Prayer seems so futile
Yet Lord, I know that You will save them
Save them from their pain
I lift these friends to You
I will pray night and day
But You are the only Savior
You will keep them in Your arms
Keep my friends under Your wings
Help them and guide them
Spare them from suffering
And bring them to the light
Monday, May 11, 2009
Hear my cry......
Lord, be the defender and protector of my faith
Do not let me fall into temptation
Restore my soul
Allow me to follow you all the days of my life
Do not let me stumble
Lead me down the right path, to Your glory
I am but a filthy rag
Make me to be like that tree of the first Psalm
Planted by the rivers of water
Allow me to grow and flourish
Don’t let me die
I will trust in Your promise
I will follow Your truth
But Lord, I cannot do it on my own
Give me breath and life
Incline Your ear to me cry
Incline Your ear to my weeping
I am nothing without You
I am nothing without my Savior
Bring me to life...
Do not let me fall into temptation
Restore my soul
Allow me to follow you all the days of my life
Do not let me stumble
Lead me down the right path, to Your glory
I am but a filthy rag
Make me to be like that tree of the first Psalm
Planted by the rivers of water
Allow me to grow and flourish
Don’t let me die
I will trust in Your promise
I will follow Your truth
But Lord, I cannot do it on my own
Give me breath and life
Incline Your ear to me cry
Incline Your ear to my weeping
I am nothing without You
I am nothing without my Savior
Bring me to life...
My Prayer......
Lord, fill my soul with Your presence
Lead me to Your cross
Shelter me from the wiles of my enemies
Keep me under Your wings
You are my salvation
You are my ever-present help in times of need
You are always there for me
Even though I may walk through that valley of death
Even though my enemy may triumph over me
Even though the evil one will plot day and night against me
You are there
I cannot hide from your grace
I cannot hide from your love
You will never let me go
Though storms may rage
Though trials may flood over me
Though pain may leave me weak
Nothing will keep You from taking my hand once more
There is no one like You
Always watchful over me
Never ceasing to show me Your mercy
Lord, fill my spirit with Your presence
Lead me, lead me on...
Lead me to Your cross
Shelter me from the wiles of my enemies
Keep me under Your wings
You are my salvation
You are my ever-present help in times of need
You are always there for me
Even though I may walk through that valley of death
Even though my enemy may triumph over me
Even though the evil one will plot day and night against me
You are there
I cannot hide from your grace
I cannot hide from your love
You will never let me go
Though storms may rage
Though trials may flood over me
Though pain may leave me weak
Nothing will keep You from taking my hand once more
There is no one like You
Always watchful over me
Never ceasing to show me Your mercy
Lord, fill my spirit with Your presence
Lead me, lead me on...
Monday, May 4, 2009
Life...... (see me through)
Sometimes life is seemingly extra hard. This post happens to be short simply because life is hitting extra hard. It seems to me that when I have a fabulous week, one that just couldn’t have possibly been better, followed up by the best Saturday of my life, and once again followed by an amazing and life-changing Sunday. After all this, life just looks dull, painful, distressing. It’s like the lights turn off and my tiny utopia is thrown into darkness.
As truly hard as it is for me to say, I must trust in God at this moment. Life was so perfect, now life is so imperfect. May God seem me through. As I wrote that last sentence, I just remembered a song, I should listen to it. :-) .... here are the lyrics...
As I wait for You, would You come and see me through
The darkness of this side
I know it’s all for You, that in the end You would find
A pure and spotless bride
For I’m a stranger here with You
Struggling inside to be a resting place for You
I was made to be with You
And I don’t truly rest until I find my rest in You
So come and see me through
As I journey on, You will lead me by Your hand
And receive me in the end
Whom have I but You, and there is none upon the earth
That can save me but You
As I journey on this path of life
Let me find favor in Your eyes
To walk humbly before Your eyes always, always
Whom have I in heaven but You
And only what You say will really see me through
Send forth Your light and truth, and lead me, lead me on
Lord have mercy, ‘cause it’s my only means
To find You here with me, to find you here with me
As for me, I will enter Your house by the mercy You’re giving me now
Your mercy is my only means
Life is not right until You split the sky
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come”
We long for the day when You make all things new
We want to be with You
May this be my prayer...
-Your brother in Christ
As truly hard as it is for me to say, I must trust in God at this moment. Life was so perfect, now life is so imperfect. May God seem me through. As I wrote that last sentence, I just remembered a song, I should listen to it. :-) .... here are the lyrics...
As I wait for You, would You come and see me through
The darkness of this side
I know it’s all for You, that in the end You would find
A pure and spotless bride
For I’m a stranger here with You
Struggling inside to be a resting place for You
I was made to be with You
And I don’t truly rest until I find my rest in You
So come and see me through
As I journey on, You will lead me by Your hand
And receive me in the end
Whom have I but You, and there is none upon the earth
That can save me but You
As I journey on this path of life
Let me find favor in Your eyes
To walk humbly before Your eyes always, always
Whom have I in heaven but You
And only what You say will really see me through
Send forth Your light and truth, and lead me, lead me on
Lord have mercy, ‘cause it’s my only means
To find You here with me, to find you here with me
As for me, I will enter Your house by the mercy You’re giving me now
Your mercy is my only means
Life is not right until You split the sky
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come”
We long for the day when You make all things new
We want to be with You
May this be my prayer...
-Your brother in Christ
Friday, May 1, 2009
Sin......
I woke up this morning thinking that I would start my day out like I usually do. That is, without a serious prayer and Bible time. I used to be good about getting up, grabbing my Bible, and getting right to it. But the last couple of months I haven’t been doing so hot in that area of life. There have been morning appointments, and various other sublimely ridiculous excuses. I would always “make it up” of course by reading it later in the day. Yet, there isn’t always that true, “Oneness” with Christ when I’m hurrying through the “task” of reading my Bible and praying.
This morning however, I woke up, checked my e-mail, and was starting the day out like any other day. Yet, I felt something in my heart say to me, “Justin... go, right now, talk with God, pray.” I was pretty sure that this thought most likely came from God Himself so I followed His command. I went upstairs, grabbed my Bible, and headed for the living room. Sat there on the couch and stared out the window. I felt instantly that I was being attacked. I was trying so hard to focus on my prayers yet, random things kept slipping in and overtaking my mind’s thoughts. I started to pray that God would grant me peace at this moment that I would be allowed to focus on Him. He indeed granted that request.
After about 20 minutes of amazing prayer for the Teen Pact staff, my closest friend, other friends, myself, and my family I finally decided to open my Bible. I thought, “I’ll read the Psalms, their the best.” I figured I mine as well read the Psalm of the day but I couldn’t remember the date. I was thinking, “In the car on Tuesday, Taylor read the 18th Psalm. So, Wednesday, 19, Thursday, 20, today 21st.” Now, as I’m sure some of you know this was inaccurate deducing. Indeed, Taylor had read the 28th Psalm, not the 18th. Just once again shows God’s amazing ability to lead me through life. The 21st Psalm was pretty amazing, but, I decided to also go to the next one, the 51st Psalm. That’s where it all started to hit me. As I was reading I noticed I was reading in a whisper out loud. I found myself looking up to the ceiling as I read this Psalm, praying it fervently to God. Here is that Psalm for you, maybe, if you pray it like I did, you’ll find tears coming down your face as well...
Psa 51:1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Psa 51:2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
Psa 51:3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Psa 51:4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
Psa 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Psa 51:6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
Psa 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psa 51:8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Psa 51:9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Psa 51:11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Psa 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Psa 51:13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
Psa 51:14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
Psa 51:15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
Psa 51:16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psa 51:18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem;
Psa 51:19 then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
God truly is amazing. He has done so much for me in my life. Yet, do I show this to Him? Do I wake up in the morning and say, “YES! I get to worship God!”? No, I don’t. Honestly folks, truthfully, I don’t. I’m not sure if you do as well, but I know I have this problem. If any of you feel this way, and are willing to share about it, I’ll be more than glad to pray for you, and would love it if you would pray for me. We must stick to Christ, worship Him. He is our King, and we must show Him due respect. I would appreciate it if you all would pray that I would have that passion once again for Christ. He is my Lord and Savior, yet, I tend to loose sight of the end goal. Let’s band together, and work towards God, trusting in His name, and honoring Him through praise and prayer.
-Your brother in Christ
This morning however, I woke up, checked my e-mail, and was starting the day out like any other day. Yet, I felt something in my heart say to me, “Justin... go, right now, talk with God, pray.” I was pretty sure that this thought most likely came from God Himself so I followed His command. I went upstairs, grabbed my Bible, and headed for the living room. Sat there on the couch and stared out the window. I felt instantly that I was being attacked. I was trying so hard to focus on my prayers yet, random things kept slipping in and overtaking my mind’s thoughts. I started to pray that God would grant me peace at this moment that I would be allowed to focus on Him. He indeed granted that request.
After about 20 minutes of amazing prayer for the Teen Pact staff, my closest friend, other friends, myself, and my family I finally decided to open my Bible. I thought, “I’ll read the Psalms, their the best.” I figured I mine as well read the Psalm of the day but I couldn’t remember the date. I was thinking, “In the car on Tuesday, Taylor read the 18th Psalm. So, Wednesday, 19, Thursday, 20, today 21st.” Now, as I’m sure some of you know this was inaccurate deducing. Indeed, Taylor had read the 28th Psalm, not the 18th. Just once again shows God’s amazing ability to lead me through life. The 21st Psalm was pretty amazing, but, I decided to also go to the next one, the 51st Psalm. That’s where it all started to hit me. As I was reading I noticed I was reading in a whisper out loud. I found myself looking up to the ceiling as I read this Psalm, praying it fervently to God. Here is that Psalm for you, maybe, if you pray it like I did, you’ll find tears coming down your face as well...
Psa 51:1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Psa 51:2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
Psa 51:3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Psa 51:4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
Psa 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Psa 51:6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
Psa 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psa 51:8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Psa 51:9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Psa 51:11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Psa 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Psa 51:13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
Psa 51:14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
Psa 51:15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
Psa 51:16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psa 51:18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem;
Psa 51:19 then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
God truly is amazing. He has done so much for me in my life. Yet, do I show this to Him? Do I wake up in the morning and say, “YES! I get to worship God!”? No, I don’t. Honestly folks, truthfully, I don’t. I’m not sure if you do as well, but I know I have this problem. If any of you feel this way, and are willing to share about it, I’ll be more than glad to pray for you, and would love it if you would pray for me. We must stick to Christ, worship Him. He is our King, and we must show Him due respect. I would appreciate it if you all would pray that I would have that passion once again for Christ. He is my Lord and Savior, yet, I tend to loose sight of the end goal. Let’s band together, and work towards God, trusting in His name, and honoring Him through praise and prayer.
-Your brother in Christ
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