Fear
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4
I experienced a great moment of fear this week and was really shaken up. Those of you who know me, know my faith in God and how I turn to Him when I need Him. I was really scared during the moment this week and was yelling at the top of my lungs to get the attention of someone, but I realized after the incident that I should have been yelling for help from my father in Heaven, or maybe I really was because I was not hurt and neither was my dog. It is times of desperation like this that can throw us into a period of reflection and need. A need for God to be in every part of our lives. If we remember that God is always with us and reflect that God is necessary in our lives, then we won't have the fear that pervades this earth. The enemy wants us to feel fear and that is his ultimate glory. We can destroy the enemy's hope for us to feel fear when we call on our Lord.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, December 28, 2018
Friday, December 21, 2018
Fantastic Friday #659 - Sing
Sing
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his[a];
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:1-5
How many of you sing with the radio, sing in the shower or sing while you are by yourself. I would guess almost everyone at least hums a tune when they are alone. There are several things I love about these five verses from Psalm 100. One is the shouting for joy, and we should probably do more of that, it is a good release. But the other thing that sticks out to me is the coming to Him with joyful songs. I was driving to work and O Holy Night came on the radio, in this case being sung by a very famous musician. I love this song and its message, so much, that I sing along with it any chance I get. I am nowhere close to being as talented as the famous singers who perform it, but boy am I belting out the words to this fantastic picture of Christ's birth. The part that gets me the most is the phrase "fall on your knees". How many of us actually fall on our knees to praise and pray to God regularly. There is something about humbling ourselves before the Lord that makes this picture complete. When we are humble, we can truly be thankful and provide God the worship He deserves. So this week, belt out those tunes at the top of your lungs, and fall to your knees, just be careful that the neighbors don't call the police on you.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his[a];
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:1-5
How many of you sing with the radio, sing in the shower or sing while you are by yourself. I would guess almost everyone at least hums a tune when they are alone. There are several things I love about these five verses from Psalm 100. One is the shouting for joy, and we should probably do more of that, it is a good release. But the other thing that sticks out to me is the coming to Him with joyful songs. I was driving to work and O Holy Night came on the radio, in this case being sung by a very famous musician. I love this song and its message, so much, that I sing along with it any chance I get. I am nowhere close to being as talented as the famous singers who perform it, but boy am I belting out the words to this fantastic picture of Christ's birth. The part that gets me the most is the phrase "fall on your knees". How many of us actually fall on our knees to praise and pray to God regularly. There is something about humbling ourselves before the Lord that makes this picture complete. When we are humble, we can truly be thankful and provide God the worship He deserves. So this week, belt out those tunes at the top of your lungs, and fall to your knees, just be careful that the neighbors don't call the police on you.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, December 14, 2018
Fantastic Friday #658 - Answer
Answer
1 Hear me, Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God; 3 have mercy on me, Lord,
for I call to you all day long.
4 Bring joy to your servant, Lord,
for I put my trust in you.
5 You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
abounding in love to all who call to you.
6 Hear my prayer, Lord;
listen to my cry for mercy.
7 When I am in distress, I call to you,
because you answer me. Psalm 86:1-7
We are always looking for answers. We look for answers of why, how, when and where. I bet if you look back this week you can take each one of these words and see where you used them in a sentence. Then I imagine you can take each one of those words and see where you used one to ask God something. Did He answer you this week? Probably not, or maybe He did, but most times God takes His time to answer the questions we ask of Him. He is usually waiting until we are ready to receive the answer. Many times we want that immediate gratification with a clear path and answer that we are hoping will come to us. What usually happens is that God will hear our prayer but also listen to our heart. Depending on our heart condition at the time, it can impact the answer we receive, and more often our fist answer we get is going to be no or not yet. I have two friends that are suffering terribly right now and I pray for them daily, but I don't use the words why, how, when and where. I pray for them now, here, and forever. It is a change of condition and praying for an answer with full reliance on God. I was able to share with a young man, that I care deeply for, this week that God has us in these places to learn and all we can do is rely on Him. We just need to wait for the answer He will show us down the road. So, everyone put your immediate needs to God through prayer and let Him answer you in His time.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
1 Hear me, Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God; 3 have mercy on me, Lord,
for I call to you all day long.
4 Bring joy to your servant, Lord,
for I put my trust in you.
5 You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
abounding in love to all who call to you.
6 Hear my prayer, Lord;
listen to my cry for mercy.
7 When I am in distress, I call to you,
because you answer me. Psalm 86:1-7
We are always looking for answers. We look for answers of why, how, when and where. I bet if you look back this week you can take each one of these words and see where you used them in a sentence. Then I imagine you can take each one of those words and see where you used one to ask God something. Did He answer you this week? Probably not, or maybe He did, but most times God takes His time to answer the questions we ask of Him. He is usually waiting until we are ready to receive the answer. Many times we want that immediate gratification with a clear path and answer that we are hoping will come to us. What usually happens is that God will hear our prayer but also listen to our heart. Depending on our heart condition at the time, it can impact the answer we receive, and more often our fist answer we get is going to be no or not yet. I have two friends that are suffering terribly right now and I pray for them daily, but I don't use the words why, how, when and where. I pray for them now, here, and forever. It is a change of condition and praying for an answer with full reliance on God. I was able to share with a young man, that I care deeply for, this week that God has us in these places to learn and all we can do is rely on Him. We just need to wait for the answer He will show us down the road. So, everyone put your immediate needs to God through prayer and let Him answer you in His time.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, December 7, 2018
Fantastic Friday #657 - Praise
Praise
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:6-8
Why does life sometimes hurt so bad? At times, it is not you that hurts but it is someone else in your life, and deep inside you know that there is nothing you can do about it. God allows us to experience disappointment at times and it is hard to understand why He allows it. I have a theory that these disappointments and pain draw us closer to the Lord. I heard a song tonight on the way home that talked about Praising God, and in our deepest time of pain and sorrow we can forget to praise God. We also need to remember how Great our God is in these times and know that He is always beside us and in us. Maybe that can ease the pain of those we love and us when needed.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:6-8
Why does life sometimes hurt so bad? At times, it is not you that hurts but it is someone else in your life, and deep inside you know that there is nothing you can do about it. God allows us to experience disappointment at times and it is hard to understand why He allows it. I have a theory that these disappointments and pain draw us closer to the Lord. I heard a song tonight on the way home that talked about Praising God, and in our deepest time of pain and sorrow we can forget to praise God. We also need to remember how Great our God is in these times and know that He is always beside us and in us. Maybe that can ease the pain of those we love and us when needed.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
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