Do not turn – Praying Pint

193. Even a child makes himself known by his acts.

2 Kings 22:1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.

Proverbs 20:11     Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright.

1 Kings 11:38     And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.

Joshua 1:7     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.

Ezekiel 18:14-17     “Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done; he sees, and does not do likewise:  he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife,  does not oppress anyone, exacts no pledge, commits no robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment,  withholds his hand from iniquity, takes no interest or profit, obeys my rules, and walks in my statutes; he shall not die for his father’s iniquity; he shall surely live.

Being 8 years old and becoming a king that did what was right in the eyes of the Lord would mean you have some very dedicated and godly people around to guide and give you counsel. Seeing how Manasseh reigned 55 years and did evil and his son Amon reigned 2 years and followed in his father’s same footsteps it is a wonder that young Josiah was able to come out against the adopted culture of his people. Such is the way it is with people who choose to be open to God, choose to be used by God, choose to listen for God to speak directly into their life, choose to follow His word, and choose to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.

We can easily live how we choose to live here in the US. We have a choice to live in such a way the glorifies and honors God, a way that follows and obeys Him, a way that listens and expects to be lead by God, a way that reflects the light of Jesus Christ to a dark world, and a way that demonstrates trust, faith, hope, and reliance in Jesus Christ.

66. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you.

Joshua 1:5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 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.”

Exodus 3:12     He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you:

Deuteronomy 31:8     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.”

Matthew 28:20     teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Acts 18:9-10     And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent,  for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”

2 Timothy 4:17     But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.

Has life ever pounced on you to the point where you felt lost, out of control, overwhelmed, worried, and possibly even afraid? Scripture seems to tell us to expect things to happen but do not fear when they do. “Do not fear or be dismayed”. “Do not be afraid”. “Do not be frightened”. His word tells us that when we face, whatever it is, we are to be strong and courageous and know that God is with us. Note it does not say to go in our own power and strength but to go in the power and might of God. To go in His power and might mean by faith, trust, reliance, hope, and obedience.

Many times our troubles seem to get the best of us because, I assume, we doubt God is able, willing, or wanting to lead us out. I wonder why we get this way when it says “for I am with you always to the end of the age”, “God is with you wherever you go”, “He will not leave you or forsake you”.

Trust, reliance, faith, hope, and obedience all grow when they are tested. Sometimes this testing seems more than we can bear or longer than we can endure and for sure that is true if we go it alone. Yet with God, all things are possible and all trials and troubles can be overcome in and through Jesus Christ our Lord and savior.

61. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Joshua 1:6-7     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.

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.”

Ephesians 6:10    Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

2 Chronicles 32:7    “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him.

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

Psalms 27:14    Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

Zechariah 8:13    And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.”

Isaiah 43:1-5    But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

Isaiah 51:12    “I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass,

Psalms 27:1   The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Hebrews 13:5    Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Isaiah 41:13-17    For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”

“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,” It is easy to think we are strong when there is nothing to challenge our strength. It is easy to stand firm when there is no fire, storms, chaos, confusion, sickness, loneliness, wrongly thought of, slandered, rumored about, and abandoned by friends and family. Yet these types of events find a way into each of our lives at some point. There are many ways we can react to these. We can be afraid, confused, anxious, worried, helpless, defeated, exhausted, lonely, restless, etc….. This is what should be expected if there is no sovereign God that loves you, has plans and purposes for you, and is watching over you.

Be strong. Be courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not worry. God is with you. He will not leave you. He will not forsake you. He has called you by name. You are His chosen possession. He will comfort you.

Have faith, rely on, cling to, and trust in God who is mighty, awesome, steadfast in love, powerful beyond all measure, and can do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine.

Planted in God’s word 1

“Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds.”

Psalms 1:3
He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

Jeremiah 17:8
He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Ezekiel 17:8
It had been planted on good soil by abundant waters, that it might produce branches and bear fruit and become a noble vine.

Ezekiel 47:12
And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”

Psalms 128:2
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

Genesis 39:3
His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands.

Joshua 1:7-8
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.

A tree once it is planted does not move. It produces the fruit it was intended to produce. With deep roots it weathers storms and drought. We are to produce fruit in line with God’s grace, mercy and love. What does this fruit look like in the life of those who call Him Lord their God? In 2 Peter it says: “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In Galatians 5:22 Paul said this: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” In 1 Corinthians 13:4 speaking of love Paul said: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends.” Be a tree planted firmly in God’s promises humbly producing fruit that that honors and glorifies Him alone.