acknowledge Him – Praying Pint

29.r. “Let the spoken and written word of Christ have its home within your heart”

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Proverbs 3:6   In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Hebrews 4:12-13  For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Psalms 119:11   I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9    And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Job 23:12    I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.

Jeremiah 15:16   Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts.

Let the spoken and written word of Christ have its home within your heart, mind, and soul. Let it dwell and permeate every aspect of your life – in what you say, think, and do. Teach spiritual things and advise, encourage, and train one another with all godly wisdom. Hunger and feed on the Word of God. Thirst and drink in its living water. Let your hearts be filled with overflowing thankfulness to God in psalms and spiritual songs. Why does the Word of God, through Paul, express these godly living encouragements? Because there is no half way service to honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ in our lives. Worldly and fleshly temptations continually bombard and tempt us. How are we to fight these temptations? Do we think we can skip through life on the fringe of truly honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ in all we say, think, and do? Do we think we can be lead by the Holy Spirit when our hearts and minds are far from His Word? Do we think we can desire, seek after and live for the pleasures of what this world has to offer? Do we think God is unable to see all of what it is we say, think, and do?

Our hunger and thirst for His Word and our obedience, reliance, and trust in Him ought to be continually growing and maturing us in our daily lives. How can this happen if our hunger and thirst is for only godly crumbs and we eat to full satisfaction from worldly and fleshly feasts? It is not merely spending time in His Word. We need to cultivate a desire and seeking of it. Our eyes of discernment will be opened through it. Our understanding and knowledge of the grace, mercy, and love of God will grow and mature. Our lives will reflect the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Worldly and fleshly temptations will be recognized for what they are, and as the hymn proclaims; “And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace”.

1.m. Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, be strong and courageous.

1 Chronicles 28:20 Then David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.

1 Chronicles 28:10 Be careful now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it.”

1 Chronicles 22:13 Then you will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes and the rules that the LORD commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Fear not; do not be dismayed.

Deuteronomy 31:7-8 It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Joshua 1:6-9 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

1 Corinthians 16:13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

It is one thing to be strong and courageous when there are no trials and troubles raining down on our head. It is another to apply when you are neck-deep in them and another huge wave is ready to crash down on you all kinds of anxiousness, worry, heart pain, sleeplessness, unhappiness, and hurt. These attacks come in many forms; financial, health, friendship, family, culture/society approved norms. We normally don’t even get a fair warning that the storm is coming, it just blows up out of nowhere and we are carried away by the currents of each wave that powers over us. So what are we to do? How do we keep from being swept away into an unforgiving sea of worry and doubt?

Stay close to Jesus all the time and trust Him, cling to Him, and rely on Him.

“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

“Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

“As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.”

“casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

“In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

“Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.”

“ Call to me and I will answer you”

“ “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

“And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?”

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.”

The word of God is full of precious promises for our faith to stand firm on. Do not let things of this world and things this side of eternity rob you from a Jesus honoring victorious life through the current and waves of trials and troubles.

Joy or Gloom

” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. “

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. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Psalms 33:18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,

Proverbs 3:1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,

Proverbs 8:10 Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

Matthew 11:29 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.

Proverbs 26:3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.

Jeremiah 4:22 “For my people are foolish; they know me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are ‘wise’—in doing evil! But how to do good they know not.”

Jeremiah 8:6 I have paid attention and listened, but they have not spoken rightly; no man relents of his evil, saying, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone turns to his own course, like a horse plunging headlong into battle. Even the stork in the heavens knows her times, and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the time of their coming, but my people know not the rules of the LORD.

“My people are foolish”, “they have not spoke rightly”, “everyone turns to his own course”, “they have no understanding”, “they do not know Me”. How many are the paths people will follow to find peace, joy, and rest for their souls following blindly and headlong on a straight path to hell? God is not blind to the actions and thoughts of man. Nothing is hidden from Him and rather than humbly submit, follow and obey Him they pick their own course. This course is one with temporary satisfaction at best but does not satisfy deep into the heart. Turn to God and He will instruct and teach you. His gentle guiding will give rest to your soul. He will set your feet on solid ground and make life fulfilling.