LORD will be a light to me

This I know, that God is for me.”

Psalms 118:6  The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?

Psalms 27:1-3   The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?LORD will be a light to me; of whom shall I be afraid?  When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall.  Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.

Psalms 46:1   God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Psalms 46:11     The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Psalms 56:4    In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

Psalms 146:5     Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,

Micah 7:8-10     Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me.  I will bear the indignation of the LORD because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication.

Romans 8:31    What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Hebrews 13:6    So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Darkness to light. When we experience darkness and there is no light for us to see, we are concerned about what we might walk into and what might be in front of us.  Are we going to walk into a wall or off of a cliff?  Life’s trials can give us the same concern, fear, and worry as being in darkness.  We don’t see what is around us or ahead of us.

I thank God for His word of encouragement.  “When I sit in darkness, He will be a light to me.” “He is my helper.” “He will bring me out to the light.” “God is our fortress.”  “God is very present help in trouble.” “LORD will be a light to me.” “God is for me.”

Abide in His word

“Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.”

“But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.”

“being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing”

“Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.”

“Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.”

John 8:31  So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”  Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.  The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Acts 14:22     strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

Colossians 1:23    if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven,

1 John 2:19     They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

How do you translate this verse “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”???  How do you continue in faith and God’s leading???  How do you remain steadfast and stable???  How do you survive tribulations and trials of this world????  How do you strengthen your soul????  How are you set free????  How are you made blameless??? How are your steps remained steady???  What keeps you from shrinking back????  How do you know of God’s kindness???  How are you encouraged to keep on the path of God???  ABIDE IN HIS WORD

Fill your heart, mind and soul

“and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.  Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,  in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

Psalms 25:12  Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

Proverbs 1:7   The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 2:5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Proverbs 15:33   The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 16:6   By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil.

Ecclesiastes 12:13   The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Isaiah 50:10    Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.

Acts 10:22    And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man,

Acts 13:26    “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation.

Psalms 31:19  Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!

Proverbs 1:33  but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

Proverbs 19:23   The fear of the LORD leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.

Matthew 11:28-29  Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Psalms 32:8  I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Psalms 37:23  The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way;

John 3:20-21   For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.  But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

John 8:31-32  So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,  and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

The whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments. “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”  Are peoples lives, who have respect and reverence for God, different than those who do not?  What would be seen in the lives of people who respect and have reverence (fear) of God?  Would they read God’s word more? Would they give thanks more? Would they be more forgiving? Would they pray more? Are they more gentle and kind? Are they encouraging? Do they give more? Do they help more?  Do they speak words of hope, love, grace and mercy?  Do they have more inner peace?  Are they more humble?  Do they acknowledge God and His leading in their life?  Do they reach out to the unsaved? Do they talk of what God is doing in their immediate lives?  There is not a day when reading God’s word I do not see something new.  Sometimes it teaches me more about who God is, or His promises, or convicts me of an area of my life that needs to change.  Without His word I think our soul easily drifts and falls away from being able to hear His quiet voice speaking to our heart.  Think about oxygen and the importance of it on every breath.  If it were given to your lungs at the same frequency of being in God’s word  would your life be hanging on by a thread or would you be declared dead?  God’s word feeds our soul and in it we find know and understanding of God, peace, hope, help, strength, love, mercy, grace, faith….

Make me Know

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!

 

Psalms 25:4  Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your pathsLead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.  Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.

Exodus 33:13   Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight.

Isaiah 2:3 and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 6:16  Thus says the LORD: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

Psalms 86:11   Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.

John 14:26    But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you

John 8:31-32  So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,  and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Psalms 119:33  Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.

Psalms 119:66  Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments.

Proverbs 8:34  Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.

James 1:22-25  But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 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.

Statements like: “Make me to know your ways”, “teach me your paths”, “Lead me in your truth”, “please show me now your ways”, “Teach me good judgment and knowledge”, “unite my heart to fear your name”, “Come, let us go”, and “I believe” are all choices men made because they had respect, reverence for God.  They understood their sinful nature, the need for forgiveness, and the only way possible was for God to teach and lead them.  Do you ever think about questions like these?  Do they come to you early in the morning and when you go to bed?  God promises blessing for those who listen but the point here is the person must first have the desire and want for God to teach and lead them.  This desire and want is a choice each of us must make if we want to learn and be lead by God. How many days go by without even a second thought of Him yet alone humbly serving Him?  With all readily available access to God’s word, how do we think we will not be held accountable for neglecting His word?  Every day we make a choice to learn from and be led by Him or to go it alone.