Such Confidence

I was reading Psalm 86 this morning and several things just popped out at me. I wanted to share with you what I saw. I know this is a longer post, but please read Psalm 86 and ponder what I learned with me.

1Bend down, O LORD, and hear my prayer;

answer me, for I need your help.

2Protect me, for I am devoted to you.

Save me, for I serve you and trust you.

You are my God.

3Be merciful to me, O Lord,

for I am calling on you constantly.

4Give me happiness, O Lord,

for I give myself to you.

5O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive,

so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.

6Listen closely to my prayer, O LORD;

hear my urgent cry.

7I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble,

and you will answer me.

8No pagan god is like you, O Lord.

None can do what you do!

9All the nations you made

will come and bow before you, Lord;

they will praise your holy name.

10For you are great and perform wonderful deeds.

You alone are God.

11Teach me your ways, O LORD,

that I may live according to your truth!

Grant me purity of heart,

so that I may honor you.

12With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God.

I will give glory to your name forever,

13for your love for me is very great.

You have rescued me from the depths of death.a

14O God, insolent people rise up against me;

a violent gang is trying to kill me.

You mean nothing to them.

15But you, O Lord,

are a God of compassion and mercy,

slow to get angry

and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.

16Look down and have mercy on me.

Give your strength to your servant;

save me, the son of your servant.

17Send me a sign of your favor.

Then those who hate me will be put to shame,

for you, O LORD, help and comfort me.

These are the main things I saw:

1. David had no trouble asking God for help!          He asked alot!

Verse 1 - hear my prayer, I need your help.
Verse 2 - protect me, save me.
Verse 3 - Be merciful to me, I am calling on you constantly.
Verse 4 - Give me happines
Verse 5 - I ask for help
Verse 6 - listen closely to my prayer, hear my urgent cry
Verse 7 - I will call to you whenever I'm trouble.
Verse 16 - look down and have  mercy on me. Give your strength to your servant. Save me.
Verse 17 - Send me a sign of your favor.

2. David's confidence in God was great.

Verse 7 - You will answer me
Verse 8 - No pagan god is like you. None can do what you do!
Verse 17 - for you, O Lord, help and comfort me.

3. He was secure in God's love for him.

Verse 5 - so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help
Verse 13 - for your love for me is very great.
Verse 14 - You are filled with unfailing love and faithfulness 

4. His dedication to God is obvious

Verse 2 - I am devoted to You. I serve you and trust You.
Verse 4 - I give myself to you
Verse 11 - teach me your ways, that I may live according to your truth. Grant me purity of heart that I may honor you.

5. David was full of Praise to God.

Verse 5 - O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for help.
Verse 10 - For You are great and perform wonderful deeds. You alone are God.
Verse 12 - with all my heart I will praise You, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever.
Verse 15 - You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion and mercy.

6. David remembered what God had done in the past.

Verse 13 - You have rescued me from the depths of death.

Finally, I noticed that David began will his requests and explaining his devotion to and trust in God, but the latter portion of his prayer was filled with praise to God, dedication of himself to God and confidence toward God and less requests. Interesting.

The conclusion I have come to, in my study of Psalm 86 today, is that I should take lessons from David.

Don't hesitate to ask for help. Put my total confidence in God. Be convinced of God's love for me. Be truly dedicated to God to learn His ways and walk in them. Be full of Praise to God. Remember how He has rescued me in the past. Never stop with my requests. Always continue with Praise to God!

Jump start

Sometimes I feel pesky, but it is like I am impelled to share with you what is on my heart and mind. I figure, if I need it, I am most likely not the only one. My instructions are clear to me "Proclaim the Excellencies of my God!" There is no end to that!!!

Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another, and let each one help to strengthen his friend, as in fact you do.

Today, still on my mind, is what I wrote on March 23rd which concluded that I was angry, irritated and frustrated because I had the:
               Wrong Focus
                    and the
            Wrong Response!

We learned that the right focus and the right response was to:

Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

Psalm 106:1
Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

1 Thessalonians 5:18
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

When I read these verses, I don't look at them simply as words to read, or only encouraging scriptures to read and walk away from. I see these scriptures as instructions from God. Following God's instructions brings great pleasure to Him. This shows our love for Him. This is what He tells me to do! These are instructions for how to have the "abundant life" that Jesus came to give me. They are not words of optional advice. Rather wise counsel. Something I need to "Do"!

I know, at times, the cares of the world creep in and choke out the Word of God. It helps if I get a "jump start" to get myself going right again.

So, tonight, I am giving us a "jump start".

We are going to follow these instructions today....Rejoice in the Lord! Praise the Lord for He is Good! Be Thankful in All circumstances.

These are not instructions that we follow if and when we feel like it! Not just when the circumstances are in our favor, but at all times! These are instructions that we follow because God is Worthy, Always! We do this because He instructs us to do so and He is Lord of my life, not me!

Besides all of that, I think there is something spiritually powerful that happens when we Praise the Lord. After all, how many times in a battle did God instruct the worshippers to go out first? Honestly, I do not know, but it would be a good study and I know it happened and I know God's people gained the overwhelming victory!!! Stop and think about that!

So, I ask that you would read and speak out loud what I write and Rejoice, Praise and Thank the Lord with me.

Lord, You are my strength and my song; You have given me victory. I say, "You are my God, and I will praise You!" Exodus 15:2.

You are worthy of my praise! Romans 9:5.

You ARE a Good, Good God Mark 10:18.

You are My God, the Great and Mighty and Awesome God, You keep Your covenant of unfailing love. Thank You! Nehemiah 9:32.

I am so very grateful that when I cried to you for help, you restored my health. Psalm 30:2.

I sought you, Lord, and you heard me; and you have delivered me from all my troubles. Psalm 34:4

Father, I have faced many troubles,
but you have come to my rescue each time. Thank You! Psalm 34:19

Thank you, Father that the angel of the LORD is my guard; he surrounds and defends me because I fear you. Psalm 34:7

In my time of distress I called to You and You heard me and You delivered me out of all of my troubles. Thank you!
Psalm 120:1

I Thank You, Father, that your favor surrounds me like a shield. Psalm 5:12

I have favor with You and I have favor with man. Proverbs 3:4

I am grateful that you never leave me without hope. Ephesians 4:4

I am never without help. Psalm 121:2

You always supply all of my needs. Psalm 34:10.

Dear God, You have always bestowed every blessing on us in abundance, so that we have richly enjoyed all sufficiency at all times, and so we have ample means for all good works. I am so, so Thankful!
2 Corinthians 9:8

You have always caused us to prosper in whatever we have put our hand to. Thank You.  Deuteronomy 30:8, Proverbs 10:4;22: Psalm 1:3; Proverbs 11:25; Proverbs 3:9-10

I am so very Thankful that you are not a man that you would lie! I can count on You! It is impossible for You to lie! Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18

Your Word is true! Psalm 119:160; John 17:17

You are Faithful, You do what you say You will do. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!
1 Corintians 1:8; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; 2 Timothy 2:13

Father, so many times You have made a way when there seemed to be no way for us. Thank You! Isaiah 43:14-16

You are my deliverer. I worship You, LORD My God; it is You who delivers me from the hand of all my enemies." Thank You.
2 Kings 17:39

You are worthy of my praise. Psalm 18:3.

There is none like You, O LORD. You are Great, and Your name is mighty in power. Jeremiah 10:6

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me. I bless Your holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all of Your benefits, You forgive all my iniquity,
You heal all my diseases, You have redeemed my life from the pit. You've crowned me with steadfast love and mercy, You  satisfy me with good so that my youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:1-5.

I declare about You, LORD: You alone are my refuge, my place of safety;
You are my God, and I trust You. You will rescue me from every trap and protect me from deadly disease. Psalm 91:2-3.

There is No one like You, Lord. I Praise You. I am joyful in my union with you,  Lord. I am Rejoicing! Philippians 4:4

Thank you for choosing me to be your own. Galatians 1:15.

Thank you for loving me with Your everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3

You certainly are Worthy of my praise. I am so Thankful for Who You are and all You do. Thank you for your Great Love that You lavish on me and for calling me your child!

1 John 3:1.

Are you fully powered with the right perspective and the right attitude now????

Sing Praise to the Lord!!!!

"Frumpy" Attitude

Today the "frumpy" attitude, as my dear friend so aptly named it, started creeping up on me again.

I ask... "what is going on here?" So, I inquired of God to show me the answer....

1 Corinthians 16:13
Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.

Proverbs 4:5
Contemporary English version
Be wise and learn good sense; remember my teachings and do what I say.

New American Standard
Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

I asked.. "what is going on here?" Here are some answers to my questions based on the scriptures above. Read them again, please.

Answer: Be on Guard! Why?

1 Peter 5:8
Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the Devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

Answer: Stand Firm in Faith! How?

Romans 10:17
Weymouth Translation
And this proves that faith comes from a Message heard, and that the Message comes through its having been spoken by Christ.

King James
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Ephesians 6:13
So put on God's armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy's attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground.

Answer: Be Courageous! How?

1 John 5:4
New Living Translation
For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.

1 Corinthians 15:57
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Answer: Be Strong! How?

Ephesians 6:10
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Answer: Do not forget or turn aside from the Words of my mouth...

James 1:25
But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Psalms 1:1-3
God blesses those people who refuse evil advice and won't follow sinners or join in sneering at God. Instead, they find happiness in the Teaching of the LORD, and they think about it day and night. They are like trees growing beside a stream, trees that produce fruit in season and always have leaves. Those people succeed in everything they do.

So, what is going on here is this:

The devil is seeing who he can take down. Like Sanballat trying to get Nehemiah off the job, distracted, from what he was meant to do. Certainly the enemy wants us to get our eyes off of Jesus, The Word, and onto the issues at hand, the Waves, so we will start to sink! Beware of this enemy, and carnal, behavior. Be on Guard! Be alert! Don't be distracted!

Keep spending time building your faith. Hearing and hearing what God has to say! Once you know what God says about your situation, make that your final answer and Do Not be moved from that position. Say to yourself. My God Cannot lie. This is what He says and I will not back down!

Know you ARE more than a conqueror regardless how it appears! Through Christ we have the victory!

Be strong! Not by your might or by your power, but by the simple truth that you are in Christ. You live and you move and you have your being in Him! You are Strong in the Lord and the power of His might! Believe that and Receive that truth. He fights for you. He strengthens you by His mighty power. You have the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwelling in you and quickening (strengthen, vitalize and energizing) your mortal (physical) body. Finally, do not turn aside from God's Word.

Yesterday we looked at Scriptures and pondered them and it was no spelling error to say "Respond accordingly". That wasn't just for yesterday!

I say we review those scriptures from yesterday and be a Doer of the Word. "DO" what those scriptures say to do and don't yield to a 'Frumpy" attitude!!!!

Why Am I Angry?

The last few days I have been out of sorts...so finally, this morning I asked God and myself...

Why Am I Angry?
Why am I irritated?
Why am I frustrated?

I questioned: 

Is it because I can't eat at Red Lobster?
Is it because none of my friends will come "Pway wif me?
Is it because I can't find any toilet paper to buy?
Is it because the world around me is filled with fear?
Is it because the enemy seems to have the upper hand..... currently?

Well, one thing I have learned in my life, so far, is that the first place to point my finger at is not Outward. It is Inward, straight at myself.

So, I ponder the questions: Why am I angry? Why am I irritated? Why am I frustrated? I think to myself....All the stuff going on in the world around me should not dictate my response. I am accountable for how I respond in regard to the things around me, whether things are going Good or whether they are going Bad. I Should and Can remain at peace, filled with joy, gratitude and Thanksgiving REGARDLESS of the world situation.

 Why? How?

 Because I have a better report. I have a report from God that gives me hope and promises that give me peace, regardless of the situation around me. I have A Good, Good and Faithful God!

Sooooooo, I changed my questions to: 

Why am I not Peaceful? 

Why am I not Joyful?
Why am I not filled with Gratitude, Rejoicing and Thanksgiving?

Listen to the following scriptures:

Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

Psalm 106:1
Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

1 Thessalonians 5:18
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Psalm 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.

2 Thessalonians 3:16
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

2 Corinthians 9:8
And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

Psalm 62:8
Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah

Psalm 34:1
I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.

Colossians 3:15
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, for to this you were called as members of one body. And be thankful.

2 Peter 1:2
May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 5:18-20
 keep on being filled with the Spirit. Then you will recite to one another psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; you will sing and make music to the Lord with your hearts; you will consistently give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

Well, after I read, pondered and responded to those verses, my attitude had changed from anger, irritation and frustration to peace, gratitude and joy.

I realized my problem was not the world situation around me. It is not that I couldn't have what I thought I wanted (like a two year old). My problem really was not even the enemy, although he is an instigator for a bad attitude! My problem was that I had the .....................

               Wrong Focus
                    and the
            Wrong Response!

Take counsel with me today from the Word of God and adjust your Focus onto the God we serve and Respond accordingly!

Shut the door?

We have our grandchildren, age 5 and 2, staying with us for a few days. Last night the little one was in full 2 year old form, "I can do it myself, Go out, Go, out!" She said, as she shut the door on me. I stood there surprised at such independence of a 2 year old. I was able and willing to help, but she had shut the door on my help. She was determined to do it herself. So, "Ok, have at it", I said to myself and backed off.

This morning as I was trying to get ready before they woke up, I thought about how I needed help from God and certainly did NOT want to shut the door on Him.

I thought of 1 John 5:14-15....
14And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

Confidence! My Confidence toward God!

Ask! Ask Anything that is according to His Will!

Hears! HE, God Himself, Hears me in whatever I ask!!!

Know!!! There's that Confidence again....I KNOW.....what?

That I HAVE!!! I have the requests that I asked God about!!!

Those are promises that I instantly and confidently responded to this morning....

I asked for God to grant me grace with my grandchildren today.....His ability on my behalf. I asked for wisdom in dealing with each issue, for patience, strength and energy! I realize they are just 2 little kids and actually really, really good kids, however, on my own the little one can push my buttons. Why shut the door on God's ability and willingness to help me when He tells me to "Ask!"

"So far you haven't asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive so that you can be completely happy."  John 16:24

Open your door wide open, be confident and ask and receive!!!!

Watch what the Lord will do!!!

Be Still, Oh my Soul

Psalm 62:5-8

Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times.
Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.

David was being chased by men with a goal to kill him. In Psalm 62, He seems to be talking to himself, to his whole soul, to his entire being, saying, "quiet down", which means to rest, be silent, dumb, to be still, be put to silence.  His thoughts may have been swirling, very disrupted by the whole situation. His whole being tense and on edge and he speaks to himself, "Let all that I am wait quietly before God."

There was a time in my life when all that was in me was in chaos. I couldn't quiet my thoughts. They were like a bird in my brain darting back and forth, never perching long enough to even create one clear thought. My nerves were on high alert, tense and startled by the smallest sound. Out of desperation and great desire, I had asked God to help me to experience the Peace that passes all understanding.

Peace and quiet around me and within me was something I never experienced in my first 17 years. I had grown up in chaos and turmoil. Peace and quiet were unknown to me. When I got away from home and grew older,  I began to know peace and quiet AROUND me, but to know it WITHIN me ...I had yet to learn. 

One morning, I remember sitting in my quiet corner with the morning light coming in on me. My body was tense, my thoughts were whirling and incomplete, I was internally and mentally in chaos and confusion. I was desperate to experience stillness within myself.

That day, I began to learn about quieting myself before the Lord. Learning to calm my mind, my soul, .... to be still and silent and experience quietness and peacefulness within myself were, honestly, foreign to me. 

I sat there, in my comfy chair, feeling like a wild woman within myself and I began to say to myself, "Shhhhhhh, shhhhhhhh, shhhhhhh....." I would sense a bit of calmness, then my thoughts would ramp up again, but after a while of silencing myself, as David had, I began to be quiet enough within myself, that I could read God's Word and "hear" it and calmness would come as I would focus on WHO My God is, in my situation.

It has been an ongoing thing to, on purpose, quiet myself, to put myself to silence before the Lord, so that the any noise or chaos trying to creep in would stop and leave, so I can hear God and put my trust in him. Peace within me is so desirable, it is worth pursuing. Chaos within me is so undesirable, it is worth taking time to silence it.

I pray that you, too, would live in the peace that passes understanding within yourself, regardless of any chaos without. Silence yourself before the Lord. Put your hope in Him and do not be shaken by the circumstances around you because you know Your God and you place your trust in him.

Read again: Psalm 62:5-8
Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times.
Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.

Psalm 131:2
Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.

On Purpose

This morning I woke up with this song, from when I was a teenager, on my mind...

     "Love is in the air, everywhere I look.     
       around.
       Love is in the air every sight and every
       sound... "

I thought, "Yeah, right! Fear is in the air....everywhere I look around. Fear is in the air every sight and every sound!"

To my thoughts again came Psalm 56:3-4.

     What time I am afraid,
            I put my trust in You.
     In God, whose word I praise-
            In God I trust -
     I will not be afraid.
            What can man do to me?

I have been pondering these verses for days now and several things catch my attention....

David did feel fear..."what time I am afraid"....but how did he handle fear?

He said, "I put my trust in You!" Sounds like a proclamation! Fear! LISTEN UP! I am putting my trust in my God!!!!

"In God, whose word I praise."

My question is....whose word are we praising? It is obvious to me that, at least the majority of what I hear from most people I know, from the local news, from the media and everywhere I look around, every sight and every sound, that most are praising coronavirus, not God's Word. Whose word are we, as Christians, praising (boasting)?

1 Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

Next in Psalm 56 I see "in God I trust", Again!

I ask.... In what or in Whom are we placing our trust, REALLY placing our trust? Our words and actions show what we are REALLY doing. Don't be a hearer only,  not a doer. Best to ponder James chapter 1 again.

Are we truly putting our trust in our Loving Father, our Magnificent, Merciful, Faithful, All Powerful, Almighty God? The one who is our Healer, Our Deliverer, Our Protector, our Provider, Our fortress to whom we can run to and be safe. Our God, whose word proclaims in Psalm 91 "For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence". Or do we have more confidence in the virus that the world is magnifying.

Now, please understand me...just as David had a valid reason to feel fear, so do we. However, it is how we deal with that fear that separates us, those who have the Most High God, from those who do not!

The final decision, as I see it, is that David chose to take His stand and announce, "I WILL NOT BE AFRAID". As if to say - Period and end of discussion!

It was as if he had evaluated the situation and made a deliberate, decisive choice based on the Word of God, the God He knew, to boast about His God. To put his confidence in His God, to cast away the focus on the trouble that were instigating the fear and declare: I willfully, of my free choice, decide that I WILL NOT Fear! My God is Greater, what can a virus do to me?

Read Psalm 91 and Joshus 1:5-9.

Make your deliberate decision today to do as David did in the face of a fearful situation. Boast in God's Word. PUT your trust in Him and Decide and Declare "I will not fear! You should see My God!!!! He will never fail me. He is my Hope, my Refuge, my Ready Help!" What can a virus do to me!