Tag: Destroyed

Shouts of Praise 2

“By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas;”

“All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.”

Psalms 47:1   Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!

Psalms 98:4    Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

Ezra 3:11  And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.  But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy,  so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.

Jeremiah 31:7   For thus says the LORD: “Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, ‘O LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel.’

Zephaniah 3:14   Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Zechariah 9:9   Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Luke 19:37  As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,  saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”  And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”  He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Revelation 19:1  After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,  for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

Psalms 95:3    For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

Daniel 7:13  And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

To be close to  God’ is to be in place of heart & mind where we  SHOUT PRAISES, GIVE PRAISE, and SHOUT WITH JOY because we know Him and what He has done, is doing and will do.  I recently read something like this statement in a commentary on this Psalm “because God will not subdue our troubles, trials and worry under us, unless we have allowed Him to choose our life-plan. Live on that plan and you are unconquerable.” We can not expect to live in His blessing if we are not humbly serving, following, obeying, and making Him are all in all.  We cannot expect to know His plan if we are not yielding each day to Him.  Our lives must change. Our choice for each day must begin and end with humbly serving, obeying, and following Him.  What would a day in the life of a person who does this look like?  Would they start and end a day without as much as 5 minutes in His word?  Would they spend more time watching TV or video games or hunting, or shopping, or fill in the blank…?  Would their mind mull over what they have read?  Would they be still and listen for God to speak to them through His word each day?  Would they pray?  Would they seek God’s leading in making decision?    Do you want to know true blessing, rest, peace, joy,  hope, and love to the point your heart bursts with shouts of praise.  Commit your life, each day, to Him, read His word, study His word, listen to others proclaim His word, and above all else humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him.

Far From Me

“He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.”

“And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.“

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

Psalms 45:7  you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;

Psalms 101:3  I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.  A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.

Psalms 101:8     Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD.

Revelation 21:27    But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life

Proverbs 23:31  Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.  In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.  Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things.

Jeremiah 22:17    But you have eyes and heart only for your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence.”

Hosea 7:6  For with hearts like an oven they approach their intrigue; all night their anger smolders; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.

Micah 2:2   They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them away; they oppress a man and his house, a man and his inheritance.

James 1:13  Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.  But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.  Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Romans 12:9    Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

Psalms 97:10   O you who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

It is our choice what we focus our eyes and heart upon.  For sure there is plenty in this world that so easily takes our focus and attention away from humbly serving, obeying, honoring and glorifying God. Why are we so easily distracted?  What can we do to lessen or remove these distractions?  Knowing and understanding God’s word and His purpose for our lives will change our focus, wants, and desires.  Staying in his word will result in changing our heart.  Day after day we are refreshed by it.  Morning by morning it is made new and revives our soul.  The warnings are clear for those who hang on to this world and what it has to offer, and as well to those who want to stand on the fence of this world and the one to come.  These people will encounter death, destruction, and will have no part in heaven.  Their lives will forever be in hell.  Choose to keep your eyes, heart, mind, and soul focused on God, through His word each day.  Commit to humbly serving, obeying, honoring, and glorifying Him.

His Throne Forever

“Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.”

“May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!  Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.  Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory!”

Psalms 45:6  Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness

Psalms 89:29   I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as the days of the heavens.

Psalms 89:36  His offspring shall endure forever, his throne as long as the sun before me.  Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies.”

Psalms 93:2    Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.

Psalms 145:13   Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. [The LORD is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.]

Daniel 2:44    And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,

Luke 1:32  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,  and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Hebrews 1:8   But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.

Isaiah 9:6  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Jeremiah 23:5  “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.  In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’

These scriptures surely give us a glimpse of everlasting throne of God, His plan to call unto Himself a people, and security in trusting in Him.  What we see and understand now is hampered by our sinful nature, but there is coming a time when we will be raised with new bodies that will never die and will be in the presence of God securely, forever, without end.  This is is promised to all who believe in, rely on, cling to, and trust in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ on the cross.  For this reason we humbly serve, follow, honor and glorify Him, waiting for reuniting with Him forever.  It is hard for us to imagine being imperishable, having a new body that will never die, and live in His presence where there is no more pain, death, or worries.  In Isaiah He tells us that He will create a new heaven and earth.  Live for Him now.  Follow and serve Him now.  This is our purpose this side of eternity.

Mind set on the Flesh

“For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.”

Psalms 34:21  Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

Psalms 35  I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree.  But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found. But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.

Psalms 94:23   He will bring back on them their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the LORD our God will wipe them out.

Isaiah 3:11   Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him.

Luke 19:41  And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it,  saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.  For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side  and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

John 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.  Whoever hates me hates my Father also.

2 Thessalonians 1:9   They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

Job 22:17  They said to God, ‘Depart from us,’ and ‘What can the Almighty do to us?’

Job 21:14  They say to God, ‘Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of your ways.

Psalms 10:4   In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”

Psalms 10:11  He says in his heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”

There are many reasons man can come up with that leave no room for God.  Do any of these sound familiar; “He does not exist.  If He does exist I am good enough.  There are multiple ways to God/heaven. I am too busy.  I will focus on God when I am older.  I have plenty of time to get right with Him.  When I compare myself against others I am much better than most…….”  Man can find host of reasons but none hold true.  All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  There is no other work man can do to be right in the eyes of God than to believe in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, acknowledge their sin, repent, and humbly serve, honor and obey God.  Believing in Jesus Christ is relying on, clinging to, and trusting in Him.  How are we to grow in our understanding of Him and His purpose for us each day if we are not culturing a heart deep desire each day?  Spend time in His word each day.

Times of Ignorance

“To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.”

“But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?”

“The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Psalms 18:46
The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation

Jeremiah 10:10
But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation.

Psalms 42:2
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

Psalms 84:2
My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

Daniel 6:26
I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end.

Matthew 16:16
Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Acts 14:15
“Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.

Hebrews 10:31
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Nahum 1:6
Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him

Revelation 20:11
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

Malachi 3:2
But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?

God is the true God, living God, everlasting King who in times past has overlooked our ignorance but now has commanded all people to repent.  You don’t have to dig very far into science literature to see the concept “There is no God”.  Just because science smart people say there is no God does not mean it is fact or true.  I fear all of this talk has diluted many Christians to a very shallow faith for the simple reason of not wanting to seem uneducated. I can not see the wind but I can see the effects of it in the leaves moving on trees.  I can say there is wind because of the effects I see.  On this same thought I can see the earth and everything that has been created.  I can see stars in the sky.  Science has allowed us to see the formation of a baby in the womb.  Some say that all of this came from a big bag somehow and spend their entire lives searching for what they call the “God Particle”, the building block for all things seen and unseen.  Why is it so many are willing to believe that something like a “Big Bang” can come from nothing.  Doesn’t there have to be a “start.”  Something that created order in the universe.  To say this is not true and to even say those who believe in God are foolish is ignorance.  It is believing a lie.  God said He will no longer overlook ignorance and the time of repentance is now. Wisdom of this world will not find God.  A heart full of pride will never find God for their heart sees no need.  And yet God gives them opportunity after opportunity to humble themselves, repent, yield, trust and follow after Him. He gives many promises and warnings in His word, knocking at everyone heart’s door reaching out to give them true purpose and meaning in this life, plus life ever after with Him.  God is alive!  He will call everyone into account for what they have done and to those who have repented and follow Him, He gives the promise of eternal life.  To those who choose to neglect this promise of everlasting life – they will experience God’s wrath and forever be thrown into hell.  Look around at what has been created and know it was created by the one and only living God.  He is knocking at the door of every heart.  Open your heart, mind and soul to Him, repent, yield, trust and follow after Him.

Our Reason for Hope

“And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!”

 

Psalms 17:15
As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

Psalms 5:7
But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.

Joshua 24:15
And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Psalms 119:111
Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.

Job 19:26-27
And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God,  whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!

2 Corinthians 3:18
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Revelation 7:16-17
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Revelation 21:3-4
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Job 14:12
so a man lies down and rises not again; till the heavens are no more he will not awake or be roused out of his sleep.

Isaiah 26:19
Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

Matthew 27:52-53
The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,  and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

1 John 3:2-3
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.  And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Philippians 3:21
who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself

Do you ever wonder about our bodies and what happens to them after death?  I recently saw a very interesting comment in Facebook “we are not going to get out of this life alive”.   I wonder if we know this but don’t really ever think about it.   God’s word says  Genesis: “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”  And Ecclesiastes: “All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.”  And again in Revelations: “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”  We need to be mindful of the fact that death of our our earthly body is not the end of our existence.  It is the beginning of our life apart from time and forevermore in eternity. There  is no second chance for a do over once time has ended for you’re on earth.  The decision made this side of eternity will determine if you will have life ever after with God in heaven or life forever in the lake of fire.  The “decision” to acknowledge  you are a sinner and separated from God.  “God so loved the world that He gave His only son that who so ever would believe in him would have everlasting life.”  The decision after acknowledging that your a sinner is to trust by faith in the saving redemptive work of Christ on the cross.  Everyone will give account – some to their own damnation and others into the loving arms of God.  I am saddened by how many people I know who care less about God, eternity, and eternal life.  God, open the eyes, heart, and mind of those who are neglecting You. Keep renewing our eyes, heart, and mind to Your awesome power, might, honor and glory so that we might worship you more and more.

Overcoming the overwhelming

“Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth. ’ “

Judges 7:1
Early in the morning, Jerub- Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me. ’ Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead. ’” So twenty- two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.
But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”
So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.
The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others

Deuteronomy 8:17
Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth. ’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish

2 Corinthians 4:7
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed

Deuteronomy 9:4
“Do not say in your heart, after the Lord your God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out before you. Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you

God knows our heart all so clear.  He did not want to leave any doubt in the Israelites minds.  They went out with 31,000 men to fight.  God knew the heart of man and that they would think it was in there power and might – not in the power of God.  God took this number not to 10% but rather down to less than 1% – 300 men.   Imagine if you were one of the 300.  Many times in our life we come up against something and we want to throw tons of effort, people and resources at it when in fact we should fall on our knees and seek His divine intervention.  It seems natural to try to do it on our own and in our own power doesn’t it?  Just think back at how many times have you heard people say “there goes a self made man or woman”?  or “It is because of how hard they worked” or “It is because of how smart they are” or “It is because of luck”……  I have no clue what you are facing but I do know that our God is more than able to take on whatever it is your are trying to face alone.  Humbly take it to Him and leave it in His hands.  There are issues that only He alone can change.  There are others that He will speak to your heart and guide you on what to do.  Either way the the first move for you is to bow before Him.  Trust in His power, strength, and love.  With it in His hands all things are possible.

Trust His Power

“Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
and moon, in the Valley of AijalonAnd the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,

Joshua 10:12
At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,
“Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
and moon, in the Valley of AijalonAnd the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.
Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel

Amos 2:9
“Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them,
whose height was like the height of the cedars
and who was as strong as the oaks;
I destroyed his fruit above
and his roots beneath.

Habakuk 3:11
The sun and moon stood still in their place
at the light of your arrows as they sped,
at the flash of your glittering spear.
You marched through the earth in fury;
you threshed the nations in anger.
You went out for the salvation of your people,
for the salvation of your anointed.
You crushed the head of the house of the wicked,
laying him bare from

Joshua went up against not one but, five armies that had banded together to fight against them.  It was not the might of the Israelites that overcame their enemies, it was God.  God threw the enemies into a state of confusion and then while they were running away He destroyed many of them with a hail storm.  We read stories like this throughout scripture where time and time again the battle is God’s.  He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  Think about this for a moment.  God has not changed.  His power has not changed.  His love for those who hear His voice and surrender to Him will not change. Do you want to have power over the battles you are facing?  Surrender them to God – Trust His Power