Tag: Faithful ones

94. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

1 Samuel 2:9   “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail.

Psalms 37:23    The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way;  though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand.

Proverbs 16:9     The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.

Psalms 91:11-12     For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.  On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.

Psalms 33:16-17     The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.  The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.

Psalms 37:28     For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.

We can see God’s hand moving in our lives when we stay in His word and the Spirit of God opens our hearts and minds to the truth of His Word. We can see God’s hand in His blessings, including that of sorrow and fiery trials. Ultimately, we can see God’s hand moving most clearly when we see His Son, Jesus Christ, who has been revealed to those who love God.

It is never by our strength that we overcome but by God’s hand in our life.  We can choose to yield to, trust in, cling to and rely on Jesus.  In Him, we will find refuge, peace, and rest in whatever trials and troubles come our way.  In Him, we have hope and faith in His awesome grace, mercy, and love.  In Him alone will we find purpose.  In Him alone, we are able to face each day no matter what comes our way.

Here are a couple of verses from the hymn, How Firm a Foundation, Ye Saints of the Lord;

Fear not, I am with you, O be not dismayed, for I am your God, and will still give you aid; I’ll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand, upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand. When through the deep waters I call you to go, the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow, for I will be with you in trouble to bless, and sanctify to you your deepest distress. When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie, my grace all-sufficient shall be your supply; the flame shall not hurt you; I only design your dross to consume and your gold to refine. The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose I will not, I will not desert to its foes; that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I’ll never, no, never, no never forsake!”

I will instruct you

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”

Psalms 119:133  Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.

Psalms 121:3   He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.

Psalms 17:5     My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.

1 Samuel 2:9    “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail.

Psalms 19:13    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.

Romans 6:12-14     Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.  Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

Romans 7:23-24     but I see within me another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

Sin, unchecked, will attempt to gain and hold dominion in our life. First it may be in a small or seemingly insignificant area, but that dominion will grow in size and strength until our spiritual life is in serious compromise. Many today want to direct their steps by something else, anything else other than the word of God.

· “Direct my steps by my feelings.”

· “Direct my steps by my lusts.”

· “Direct my steps by my friends.”

· “Direct my steps by my parents.”

· “Direct my steps by circumstances.”

· “Direct my steps by fate.”

· “Direct my steps by my comfort.”

The word of God is our light, path, knowledge and understanding, living water, and spiritual food.  Through His word we hear whispers of His voice leading, reproving, convicting, confirming, teaching, instructing, encouraging, and giving us hope, building our faith, peace, joy, love, and changing our passions and love for this world to a  Love of Him, and a heart desire to honor, glorify, worship, serve, follow and obey.   This is fueled by time in His word. Great and precious promises are given to us in His word.  These are given to us so that through them we will grow more in our faith and live more abundantly for His plan and purpose, not ours.  We do well to spend time in His word and not so much time in our own pursuit of satisfaction apart from it.

Limping along 1

“There is none like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is great in might.”

“From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!”

Psalms 50:1   The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest. He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people: “Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!  The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge!

Joshua 22:22  “The Mighty One, God, the LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows; and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion or in breach of faith against the LORD, do not spare us today

Nehemiah 9:6    “You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.

Jeremiah 32:18  You show steadfast love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts,  great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man, rewarding each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds.

Isaiah 1:2    Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the LORD has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me.

1 Kings 18:21    And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.

In this Psalm we see the greatness of God who is worthy to be praised.  Yet other scripture calls us out – “how long will you go limping between two different opinions” “but they have rebelled against me”.  Limping between and rebelling against what?   I think we limp and rebel along these lines; Giving and keeping, content and wanting, at peace and being anxious, faith and no faith, Resting and unrest, joy and unhappiness, belief and unbelief, allowing ourselves to be wronged and being critical of others, trusting and questioning, listening and not wanting to hear, time for God…. There is no need to limp along and rebel against God.  Our lives are so much better when we choose to follow Him and humbly serve, honor and obey.  Look to the one who is able to do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine.  Spend time in His word and believe He is sovereign, holy, mighty, loving, powerful, God forever to be praised and worshiped.

Consider your ways!

“Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways.”

“Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure”.

“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is”

“My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside.  I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.”

“but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

Psalms 37:23  The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand.

Psalms 17:5   My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.

Psalms 85:13  Righteousness will go before him and make his footsteps a way.

Psalms 119:133   Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.

Psalms 121:3   He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.

Psalms 121:8   The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

1 Samuel 2:9    “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail.

Proverbs 16:9   The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.

Jeremiah 10:23  I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.

Hebrews 13:16    Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Ephesians 5:15   Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise

I have been thinking about resting in God.  Relying on Him.  Waiting on Him.  Trusting in Him.  I wonder what this looks like lived out.  Does resting mean we are not constantly searching to know and understand Him more?  I think we have a tendency to become complacent and we stop at “resting”.  Notice scripture today in pondering our path and God’s leading.  Can we know this if we are complacently resting?  Our purpose in this life is to humbly serve, honor, glorify, and obey God.  To do this we need to continually spend time in His word with a heart deep desire.  Spend time in His word.

 

Rise Up

“He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail.”

Psalms 9:19
Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you! Put them in fear, O LORD! Let the nations know that they are but men!

Psalms 10:12
Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted.

Psalms 44:23
Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever!

Psalms 68:1
God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him! As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God!

1 Samuel 2:9
“He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail.

2 Chronicles 14:11
And Asa cried to the LORD his God, “O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.”

Isaiah 42:13
The LORD goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes.

Micah 5:15
And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance on the nations that did not obey.

Psalms 79:6
Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call upon your name!

Sometimes there seems to be injustice and an over whelming loss of what is right and wrong.  We face battles against sex trafficking, child abuse, and pornography. It is good for us to know the battle is not ours and for sure is not lost.  God knows all of these battles and will pour out His anger to those who reject Him and cause harm to these little ones.  Rise up, Rise up, be encouraged God is our King and the battle we fight is His calling in our lives. Do not allow your voice to be silent and your actions minimal.  This is our country, our states, our cities, our neighborhoods, our friends, and our families.  Do not be silent on Child abuse.  Do not be silent on Child and Adult pornography.  Do not be silent on minor and adult Sex trafficking.  To say nothing and do nothing is allowing those who do to think it is OK.