Pushed
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in humans.
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes.
10 All the nations surrounded me,
but in the name of the LORD I cut them down.
11 They surrounded me on every side,
but in the name of the LORD I cut them down.
12 They swarmed around me like bees,
but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;
in the name of the LORD I cut them down.
13 I was pushed back and about to fall,
but the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation. Psalm 118:8-14
Do you sometimes feel that you have been pushed around when you have finished the day, or even pushed to your physical or emotional limits during the week. Sometimes I wonder if other people find it fun or enjoyable to push people around or to see how far they can push people past their physical limitations. I know this can be one of the tactics of the enemy to slowly wear us down and put doubt in our mind to see if we are actually who we say we are. One thing we need to remember on a daily basis is that we are who God created and not someone that can be pushed around. We are strong and can rely on the Lord to help keep us from falling into temptation or falling into that thought that we aren't who we were created to be. Don't be pushed around but push back with your strength from God to fight the enemy and his tactics.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Fantastic Friday #281- Ridicule
Ridicule
1 I lift up my eyes to you,
to you who sit enthroned in heaven.
2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the LORD our God,
till he shows us his mercy.
3 Have mercy on us, LORD, have mercy on us,
for we have endured no end of contempt.
4 We have endured no end
of ridicule from the arrogant,
of contempt from the proud. Psalm 123
Have you seen someone make fun of another person this week, did they make fun of you or a family member. Or, is the situation reversed and did you take a moment to laugh at someone at their expense. Many times in our life there are those people that think that is OK to regularly belittle or harass someone to make themselves feel better, or maybe they just like to see people suffer. The problem with this kind of action is it does not build anyone up but only tears them down. The arrogant seem to rule our society in many ways as we can see regularly on TV, in the media, in politics and even sometimes in our church. There is one advantage that we have that we should be taking a good look at. We have the Lord our God to show mercy on us and protect us from those who don't value other people. In those times of ridicule, turn the Holy Spirit and let Him guide your thoughts and actions in a positive way. Our God values us, so let us value other people.
Have a great weekend.
1 I lift up my eyes to you,
to you who sit enthroned in heaven.
2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the LORD our God,
till he shows us his mercy.
3 Have mercy on us, LORD, have mercy on us,
for we have endured no end of contempt.
4 We have endured no end
of ridicule from the arrogant,
of contempt from the proud. Psalm 123
Have you seen someone make fun of another person this week, did they make fun of you or a family member. Or, is the situation reversed and did you take a moment to laugh at someone at their expense. Many times in our life there are those people that think that is OK to regularly belittle or harass someone to make themselves feel better, or maybe they just like to see people suffer. The problem with this kind of action is it does not build anyone up but only tears them down. The arrogant seem to rule our society in many ways as we can see regularly on TV, in the media, in politics and even sometimes in our church. There is one advantage that we have that we should be taking a good look at. We have the Lord our God to show mercy on us and protect us from those who don't value other people. In those times of ridicule, turn the Holy Spirit and let Him guide your thoughts and actions in a positive way. Our God values us, so let us value other people.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Fantastic Friday #280- Hardened
Hardened
22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:22-24
I watched a brief 4 minute interview clip this week with a very famous individual who believes very strongly in the theory of evolution, and in his comments he surmised there was a .1% chance that there might be a God. He then related a couple of situations in his life of where his life was spared, but even after those close-to-death experiences he still doesn't believe in God. A friend of mine noted after watching the clip "how gracious of God to rescue him knowing that his heart would be hardened." Do you see your heart hardened when you don't acknowledge how God works in your life, or when you don't appreciate the creation God has placed us in. Or do you know someone whose heart is hardened and continues to resist the free gift of grace to all those who believe. Either way, God can soften your heart or theirs which can lead to glorifying God. Keep your eye on the Lord and through faith those hard hearts can turn soft.
Have a great weekend.
22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:22-24
I watched a brief 4 minute interview clip this week with a very famous individual who believes very strongly in the theory of evolution, and in his comments he surmised there was a .1% chance that there might be a God. He then related a couple of situations in his life of where his life was spared, but even after those close-to-death experiences he still doesn't believe in God. A friend of mine noted after watching the clip "how gracious of God to rescue him knowing that his heart would be hardened." Do you see your heart hardened when you don't acknowledge how God works in your life, or when you don't appreciate the creation God has placed us in. Or do you know someone whose heart is hardened and continues to resist the free gift of grace to all those who believe. Either way, God can soften your heart or theirs which can lead to glorifying God. Keep your eye on the Lord and through faith those hard hearts can turn soft.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Fantastic Friday #279- Flee
Flee
1 May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;
may his foes flee before him.
2 May you blow them away like smoke—
as wax melts before the fire,
may the wicked perish before God.
3 But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice before God;
may they be happy and joyful.
4 Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
extol him who rides on the clouds[b];
rejoice before him—his name is the LORD. Psalm 68:1-4
Do you see people running away from God on a regular basis? It is kind of like us when we don't feel comfortable in a situation, we tend to flee from whatever is making us uncomfortable. When sin creeps in, do we flee the other direction or do we allow that little bit of sin into the opening to take hold of us? When we allow that sin through that opening, then we are actually fleeing from our Father in Heaven instead of growing closer. I don't know about you but I would rather flee from a fire and head towards our Father and be happy, than flee away from our Father into a scorched earth and perish. Fleeing from sin for Life Everlasting or Fleeing from God to Perish. What will your choice be?
Have a great weekend.
1 May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;
may his foes flee before him.
2 May you blow them away like smoke—
as wax melts before the fire,
may the wicked perish before God.
3 But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice before God;
may they be happy and joyful.
4 Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
extol him who rides on the clouds[b];
rejoice before him—his name is the LORD. Psalm 68:1-4
Do you see people running away from God on a regular basis? It is kind of like us when we don't feel comfortable in a situation, we tend to flee from whatever is making us uncomfortable. When sin creeps in, do we flee the other direction or do we allow that little bit of sin into the opening to take hold of us? When we allow that sin through that opening, then we are actually fleeing from our Father in Heaven instead of growing closer. I don't know about you but I would rather flee from a fire and head towards our Father and be happy, than flee away from our Father into a scorched earth and perish. Fleeing from sin for Life Everlasting or Fleeing from God to Perish. What will your choice be?
Have a great weekend.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Fantastic Friday #278-Say Something
Good Morning Men,
Say Something
22 But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— 23 that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.” Acts 26:22-23
When it comes to your daily life, do you sit back and watch people lie, cheat, or steal and do nothing? Do you sit back and watch people that are lazy, inconsiderate, or gossip and say nothing? These seem to be two very large extremes between the two sets of actions, or is there? All six of these are sin if you really break it down. What about the Gospel? Do we sit and watch people who are lost, without a direction? In our silence do we hear people to say that they are fine and think they are a good person, and do we continue to let them think they don't need to hear about our Lord and Savior. Take a lesson from Paul and say something, for what will happen if you say nothing. We have been given the task of testifying to our Lord's grace, so Say Something.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Say Something
22 But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— 23 that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.” Acts 26:22-23
When it comes to your daily life, do you sit back and watch people lie, cheat, or steal and do nothing? Do you sit back and watch people that are lazy, inconsiderate, or gossip and say nothing? These seem to be two very large extremes between the two sets of actions, or is there? All six of these are sin if you really break it down. What about the Gospel? Do we sit and watch people who are lost, without a direction? In our silence do we hear people to say that they are fine and think they are a good person, and do we continue to let them think they don't need to hear about our Lord and Savior. Take a lesson from Paul and say something, for what will happen if you say nothing. We have been given the task of testifying to our Lord's grace, so Say Something.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)